


Makerdimension Neptunia

by PuruAi



Category: Hyperdimension Neptunia
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 100,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24824026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuruAi/pseuds/PuruAi
Summary: Originally posted on Fanfiction.net, Makerdimension Neptunia is now here on Ao3!The untold story of IF and the Makers of Hyperdimension Neptunia! Follow IF's journey to become a full fledged adventurer and meet other Makers along the way!





	1. Enter JUSTICE! A Double A Duo!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adventure begins! IF meets a new ally, Nisa, and embarks on their first quest.

_As a child, young IF dreamed of becoming a member of the Guild. She'd be able to make a living while traveling Gamindustri and do her part by generating shares for the Four Goddesses. Though common people could not see such benevolent and totally serious entities, IF dreamed that someday, she would be able to fight alongside them to fight ancient demons and any threat that disturbed the peace of Gamindustri. This, is not that story._

_As IF grew up, she studied the essentials of being an adventurer. From using a cell phone to sealing demons within her right arm, she was positive that she would be a fantastic asset to the Guild._

_During her rigorous training, IF met Compa, a clumsy girl who supported all of her ideas and delusions. IF also met other like minded young girls such as Persona, another aspiring young adventurer who sought rid the world of demons. IF and Persona developed a friendly rivalry, and would spend countless hours discussing totally real things that happened and weren't made up at all._

_They would watch in awe as brave adventurers proudly returned to the city after having conquered difficult quests and earning many of shares for their respective nations, earning the praise of citizens all over Gamindustri._

_Years passed, until finally, IF had finally awoken to her peak potential by celebrating her birthday and getting the most advanced phone on the market. She was now ready to begin her grand adventure. Donning her oversized coat with hope in her eyes, IF was ready to vanquish evil and become more powerful than her wildest fantasies. She was ready to meet all kinds of amazing adventurers such as herself and learn a thing or two from them so that she could become an outstanding asset to the guild, and the four great nations of Gamindustri._

_Like a fresh morning wind soaring through Gamindustri, the young IF set out to seize her destiny..._

Rain poured down hard upon the streets of Planeptune. The only things that could be seen were the lights and the shadows they created. A lonely figure could be seen, sitting at the steps of the guild entrance. The young IF had finally returned from her first big quest- a simple extermination request within a newly discovered spectral tower. Though she succeeded, the reward was slim and she barely generated any shares from it at all. Eyes glued to the floor, IF was just about ready to throw in her wet towel. Where did she go wrong? Maybe she should've removed the seal in her arm and allowed herself to go beserk…

"HELLO THERE, CITIZEN OF THIS FAIR AND JUST LAND!", a voice boomed out, startling IF. After juggling her phone, she looked up to see a girl who looked like she was trying to look like a penguin or something.

"Who in the hell are you?!" was all IF could blurt out.

"I'm Nisa! Gamindustri's very own Keeper of Justice!"

"What.", IF responded with a stoic expression.

"I'M NISA, GAMIN-"

"I heard you the first time! What do you want?!", the brunette barked. Nisa brought one of her legs up to rest one of her feet on a higher step and placed her hands on her hips. She puffed out her… chest(?), posing heroically while facing IF. "I sensed someone in dire need of some saving (that's you), so I'm here to help!" IF raised an eyebrow, unamused by this girl whose caps lock button was stuck. "Cut the crap, I don't need your pity. I'm doing just fine!", she responded sternly.

"Pity? No! Whenever somebody is feeling down, it is because Justice is not being done and…" As Nisa rambled on, IF wondered what this girl's deal was. It was true- she did need help. As a novice, the best she could do right now was low level guild requests, which didn't reward much. All of the best rewards get claimed by the more experienced adventurers who take on the more tedious and risky tasks. Maybe letting Nisa here help her isn't such a bad idea…

"...and that is why I simply can not allow such injustice to stand!", Nisa (finally) finished. IF rose her head up and looked Nisa in the eyes. "Eh, might as well. The name's IF, nice to meet you." Nisa's eyes shined even brighter than the game's brightness allowed it to be when she heard this. "So you'll join me? Great! A heroine of Justice like myself could use a sidekick! A pupil to pass my will of Justice onto!" Nisa began to fantasize about all of the Justiceness the two would dispense together.

"I thought YOU were going to help ME.", IF interrupted. Nisa gave her a wink. "All the same to the scales of Justice!". There was an awkward silence between the two of them for a moment as Nisa completely deflected IF's comment. "Oh, don't be upset! With my guidance, you'll become an exemplary hero of Justice, like me! I won't leave you alone until I'm positive that you'll be able to handle yourself! I swear it on my pride as Gamindustri's Keeper of Justice!", Nisa declared. Oh boy, she was serious. "I-I can handle myself just fine!", IF stammered. Nisa scratched her chin and tilted her head from side to side, inspecting IF. "Are you sure? You look like you've been kidnapped at least twice already!". IF sighed and rose to her feet.

The rain had finally stopped, leaving nothing but the night sky and the wet lights of Planeptune illuminating the city. IF pulled out her phone to check the time. She had lost track of how long she was sitting there. "So, when do we start?", IF finally spoke up. Nisa spun around a few times, and stopped to point at the Guild's main entrance. "Right NOW!" IF didn't bother turning around to answer Nisa. "It's closed."

"Oh, right…", Nisa responded in a lower tone, then rebounding with a pose, "How does first thing in the morning sound? We'll accept a really good request before anyone else can get to it first!" Nisa announced.

IF nodded. "Say, that's a pretty good idea. It's a date, then!"

Nisa didn't expect _that_ response. "Ehehe, sorry, but I'm already in a healthy relationship with Justice!".

IF's face burned as red as her Demon Flames. "W-w-w-whaaaaaaat?! No no, that's not what I meant at all!" she stuttered. Nisa winked at IF to tease her one last time before leaping off of the steps, only to land on a puddle and slip, falling flat on her face. IF looked around to see if anyone was watching, then quickly walked away as if she didn't see anything…

* * *

Clear, sunny skies and fresh, gentle breeze. The perfect weather for things to get ruined. Even monsters have their preferences. Dogoos could get lost in puddles and Horsebirds don't like getting their feathers and manes wet. It also made it easier for IF to cruise down the streets on her motorbike without a worry in the world. The last time she tried riding around in the rain, she got hurt and had to endure being Compa's guinea pig until she was healed. Not that she had any complaints, though…

After parking her bike, IF headed to the entrance of the guild, only to find Nisa laying in the exact same spot she fell last night. IF wondered if she was dead, but then figured that her head was too thick to die this way. She knelt down and shook Nisa gently, only to be startled when she jolted back to life and suddenly jumped to her feet.

"Iffy! I had the craziest dream! There was this complete loser who became a superhero and had an epic battle with a dark, evil man!".

IF placed her hand (or rather, oversized sleeve) on her hip. "Good grief, I can't believe you slept like that the whole night… Well, now that we're both rested up, let's go take some requests.", she said, before walking through the guild's sliding doors. Nisa followed her into the spacious lobby, following IF to a kiosk. Not many members were here yet- they were pretty early.

IF approached one of the terminals and opened up the requests tab, then scrolled all the way to the bottom. "Whoa, hold on Iffy! There's no way you're going to find anything good down there. We're here early, so there must be something with a bigger reward for our heroic duties." Nisa scrolled up and they found a new request marked as "urgent".

"Nisa, check that one. Urgent requests are probably a good way to get things moving for us," IF pointed out. Nisa nodded and selected the request. It specified that someone's daughter had gone missing after leaving last night to do her evening exercises. The reward was-

"O-one hundred thousand credits?! This has to be a mistake!", IF reloaded the request a few times to see if the number would change. Yet, the amount was as unchanging as her bust size. One hundred thousand credits for a simple rescue mission.

"Can't you see, Iffy? This girl's father is willing to pay any price for his precious little girl! We can't just sit around here while there's a damsel in distress who needs to be saved! Let's take this one!", Nisa beamed with excitement. IF nodded in agreement and they set off.

The pair arrived at the location specified by the request: a park at the edge of Planeptune, which greeted people entering the nation with gorgeous cherry blossoms. IF checked her phone. "According to the request, the girl we're looking for usually comes here to do some training. Apparently, she's a star athlete at her school. Says here her name is… Elsa", she looked up from her phone and looked around for any signs of her.

"An athlete! I like that! Truly the making of a heroine!", Nisa replied with her hands on her hips.

"You're not planning on dragging her along with you too, right?", IF sighed. Nisa chuckled nervously before they both agreed to head in and look around. They would bump into the occasional monster running around and promptly took care of them. The pair kept walking throughout the park until something caught IF's attention.

"Hey Nisa, take a look at this.", IF walked over towards a dented railing with some blue goo and a thin tire mark on it.

"Good eye, Iffy! Your vision is truly worthy of a heroine.", Nisa complimented her as IF climbed over the fence to follow the trail left behind. There was a clear path left behind that led away from the main path and into the trees. IF took note to pull out her daggers as she slowly crept further and further into the trees followed closely by Nisa, until they reached a clearing. Hiding behind a tree, she poked her head out to check for any enemies.

In the clearing, was a girl in a school training uniform surrounded by dogoos. There was, most notably, one bigger dogoo who the girl was facing. "That must be Elsa. Was she here the whole night?" IF whispered.

"That would explain why she hasn't come back. But why did she come all the way out here? This is pretty far away from the road. Perhaps she sensed evil here and sought to cleanse it from this world.", Nisa pulled her head back.

"I doubt that…", Iffy replied.

"There's no use talking about this now! We have to go in and save her!", Nisa nodded, starting to get fired up.

"Okay, what's the pla-", before IF could finish, Nisa was already running into the fray and performed a devastating flying kick onto the largest dogoo. IF looked on in shock, briefly unsure what to do. She ended up following suit by attacking some of the smaller dogoos at the edge of the group. Nisa jumped towards the center of the pack, where the surrounded girl was.

"You're Miss Elsa, right? Fear not, we're here to save you!", she reassured the startled girl. Elsa was already covered in goo at this point. "T-thank you…", she said tiredly. The energetic pair of AA's had arrived just in time. Had they not arrived sooner, this could have escalated to the point where this story's rating would have to be changed.

Nisa stayed close to Elsa and beat down any dogoo that would get close to them while IF would whittle them down from the edge of the pack, trying to kill as many as she could."Iffy! This isn't a kill quest! We found the target, now it's time to make our heroic retreat!", Nisa shouted out towards IF. She had gotten a little carried away, trying to kill as many of those gooey little beasts as she could. Their smug aura was just begging to be sliced in half. IF jumped back and unleashed her Demon Flames upon a group of dogoo between herself and the two girls at the center, creating a brief window for them to escape. Nisa grabbed Elsa's hand and started to make a run for it.

"No, wait! My bike! They have my bike!", Elsa blurted out. Nisa kept dragging her along.

"Sorry, but we can't risk your safety over a bike!", IF shouted as they reached her. They all began running away from the clearing through the trees until they could see the main path."There it is! We're almost home free! Just hold on, Miss!", IF tried calming down the girl. They were just a few feet away, until suddenly, a giant dogoo with a slick gooey pompadour dropped down and blocked their way.

"Ha! A lone dogoo is no match for the likes of us!", IF said with a smirk.

"B-behind us!", Elsa whimpered, crouching down and covering her head. The dogoos that had been chasing them had caught up, and now they found themselves in what could turn into a _very_ slimey situation. IF had absolutely no intention of taking part in an 18+ event, and was prepared to send the rest of these dogoos straight to hell. Or, she would be, if she hadn't used up all her energy using her Demon Flames earlier.

"IF, clear them out with your magic!", Nisa called out. IF tried to muster up the energy to use such an attack, but she simply couldn't.

"I… already used up all of my energy back there!", she replied, with a hint of embarrassment in her voice. If she hadn't gotten carried away, she would probably be able to easily clear out these monsters. Nisa stood silent as the dogoos approached the three of them.

"N-noooo! I'm too rich to die here…", Elsa sobbed.

"All we need to do is get through this big one, right?", Nisa said, while staring the giant dogoo in the eyes, "IF, when you see the opening, take Elsa and run."

IF backed up while keeping her eyes on the approaching dogoo. "Huh? What kind of stunt are you going to do now?", she asked while turning towards her. Nisa punched her palm. "What a heroine must do! IF, I entrust Gamindustri to you!", Nisa said before dashing up towards the large dogoo. The alpha pompagoo accepted Nisa's challenge and bounced towards her. Nisa was enveloped with the fiery aura of Justice itself as she drew nearer to the awfully styled dogoo and she began to spin forward in mid air before stopping to align her body for her attack. "Justice… KICK!", she shouted as she collided with the gooey adversary.

There was a completely unnecessary explosion which caused IF and Elsa to briefly cover their eyes. When they opened them to see the aftermath, they found that the giant dogoo had simply opened its mouth and Nisa flew in. "N-no way!", IF said, beginning to panic. She was out of energy, and couldn't do much other than slash the dogoos with her daggers. Completely outnumbering them, the dogoos approached IF and Elsa to commence the gooey fanservice scene. IF held Elsa, who was paralyzed in fear, behind her and braced herself to fight off the upcoming bad ending…

"Dog...oo?", the big pompagoo suddenly halted its advance. It began to rumble unnaturally, only to explode, sending goo flying everywhere. IF wiped goo out of her eyes to try to get a look at what happened. Out of the pile of goo where the alpha goo once stood, climbed Nisa.

"Like a sun breaking through the dawn, I have pierced through the darkness!", Nisa exclaimed while raising her fist triumphantly. With the path now clear, IF took Elsa by the hand and ran up to Nisa.

"Nisa, can you walk?", she asked quickly. Nisa jolted up and pointing towards the railing.

"I'm fine! Come on, it's right there! Let's make our retreat!", she announced with her booming voice. With one final sprint, they finally reached the railing and promptly leapt over it. The dogoos chased them all the way up to the rails, but did not go any further.

"W-why aren't they chasing us any further?", the high schooler asked frantically.

"Monsters are very territorial. They'll only go as far as to chase you away from their turf.", IF responded.

They all took a few moments to catch their breath and wipe off the goo from their their clothes. "Ugh, it got in my jacket… Now I'm going to have to send it to the cleaners.", IF complained.

"Oh! That reminds me!", Nisa spoke up, " I've been meaning to ask this for a while now… why're you wearing such an oversized jacket? The sleeves are way too big!". She took her goggles off and began to wipe the goo off of them.

"Looks pretty cool, huh? I can recommend a pretty decent tailor if you want to get one for yourself.", IF said with a proud smile. Such a coat showed the worth of a seasoned adventurer like herself, and such large sleeves would make it difficult to tell what she's hiding underneath them. She nodded at the thought of how clever the idea was.

"No thanks, I'll stick to wearing a scarf…", Nisa forced a smile, not wanting to make IF feel bad. IF sighed and turned to look at Elsa.

"Sorry you had to go through all that, Miss. We'll be taking you back home, now."

Elsa stomped her feet on the ground."You two owe me a new bike!", she complained. IF and Nisa looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"Wait a minute. Your bike was already gone when we got here. That wasn't our fault at all!", IF rebutted. She crossed her arms and couldn't help but get a bad feeling about this girl.

"That was a limited edition sports bike from Lowee! The materials they used to make the bike are so rare that only ten were ever made! It could survive through a nuclear explosion!", Elsa cried frantically. The three of them stood around awkwardly for a few moments, the silence broken only by the ambient sounds of birds chirping and wind blowing. Finally, IF spoke up.

"I seriously doubt that." That was the last straw. Suddenly, Elsa stomped her foot down and clenched her fists.

"Fine! I'll just charge you for it, then!"

IF's face showed an expression of both surprise and disgust. "Sure, it is only fair for us heroines to pay for the damages we caused! How much do we owe you?", Nisa spoke up. Elsa stood up straight and scratched her chin. She pulled out a calculator and poked at the keys for a few moments, then looked back up at Nisa.

"The bike costs fifty thousand credits", she announced. IF sighed internally. That was half of what the reward of this request was. She hesitated to give a response and looked to Nisa, giving a slow nod.

"Sure, no problem. We'll give you the credits once we get you back safely!", Nisa answered, as Elsa continued to tap the keys of her calculator.

"...Before additional fees. The total price is five hundred thousand credits.", she added.

Nisa's eyes widened with shock. "I...I see... ".

IF fought back. "How the hell did you calculate five hundred thousand credits from fees?!", she barked.

Elsa put her calculator away and crossed her arms, avoiding eye contact. "If it's a problem, then maybe we could agree on a payment plan… with interest, of course.", she muttered.

"It is a hero's duty to responsibly pay their debts. However, I can not turn a blind eye to such underhanded tactics!", Nisa responded, swiping across horizontally to add some dramatic effect to her words.

"Well maybe you should've tried saving my bike!", Elsa coughed out. The three of them began to argue until they were interrupted by someone calling out to them.

"Excuse me, does this belong to any of you?". A person wearing some sort of space armor approached them, while pushing a bright blue and silver futuristic looking bike. Well whaddya know. Nisa and IF quickly turned around to look at Elsa, just as she started running past them towards the bike.

"Yes! My bike! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!", she cried out. Kneeling down, she hugged the seat of the bike closely as if she were reuniting with her long lost dog. Her hands wandered throughout the frame of the bike, caressing every last inch of it that she could. This led her to get her hand stuck between the thin bars of the front wheel.

"Watch those wrists. One bad move and you could lose your hand!", the armored stranger said while helping Elsa's hand get free.

"And who might you be, fellow hero?", Nisa called out. The stranger looked up towards IF and Nisa and removed her helmet, revealing shoulder length brown hair.

"Hello there! Just a mercenary passing by. I found this bike all covered in goo back there... I already have a jetpack, so I don't need it", the armored woman replied. They chatted idly for a little bit as Elsa continued to inspect the bike. Finally, she stood up and faced the chatting trio.

"Okay, I'm ready to go back now!", she said cheerfully, "Thank you, miss! You're certainly getting rewarded for this!"

* * *

"I can't believe she gave her half of our reward.", IF sighed heavily as she looked down at the transaction on her phone.

Nisa stood in front of IF on the steps in front of the guild entrance. "A good deed is it's own reward, Iffy! Once you learn this, you'll be a true heroine!", she explained.

"That's great and all, but I have to pay rent.", IF responded while shrugging. Nisa nodded and struck a pose.

"Well said! A heroine must never neglect their basic responsibilities! We'll just need to work harder and overcome any challenge that comes our way! Then you'll be able to earn all the credits you need!". That sounded easy enough. The problem was finding such requests. Gamindustri was in an era of relative peace, after all. IF's mind began to wander once more. She thought about staying at Compa's apartment for the night so she could have dinner. Since she wasn't earning much money, she needed to use it sparingly. The spare futon in her apartment wasn't so bad… she wouldn't mind falling asleep right now...

The sound of Nisa's booming voice woke her up like an alarm clock ringing for the fifth time. "Come on, Iffy! You need to do something about your performance today if you want to compete with everyone else!" IF rubbed her eyes, confused.

"What's wrong with my performance? I'd say I sent all those dogoos directly to hell back there. No sweat!", she said smirking.

Nisa put her hands on her hips, a hint of disapproval on her face. "You were reckless! You tired yourself out right away, and couldn't attack when you actually had to! If Justice weren't on my side, then that could have ended really bad!" IF averted her eyes in shame. It was true. Even now, she still felt exhausted from using her magic in rapid succession. Darn SP costs.

"Yeesh, who said anything about competitions, anyway? I'd rather just focus on improving myself at my own pace.", IF muttered. Nisa scratched the back of her ear. Hard to argue against that. Suddenly, the grand light bulb of Justice lit up above her and she ran up the steps and into the guild. IF sighed as she was left behind, sitting alone at the staircase. She got a few unfriendly looks from other guild members who had to walk around her. After realizing she was a fire hazard, she stood up and started walking up the stairs to follow Nisa inside. She stepped up while keeping her eyes down on the steps so she wouldn't trip. When she finally looked up after reaching the top, she was met with a flyer floating mere inches from her face. Of course, it wasn't actually floating; Nisa was holding it in front of her.

"Oh sorry, too close?", Nisa smiled brilliantly as she pulled the flyer away from IF's face. Now that she could see it properly, IF read the flyer.

_**THE GAMINDUSTRI ANNUAL E3 GRAND PRIX!** _

_**SIGN UP TODAY!** _

_**1ST PRIZE: 1,000,000 CREDITS** _

_**AND A CHANCE TO MEET AND WORK WITH ONE OF THE FOUR GODDESSES!** _

The only reaction IF could find was to just keep staring at the flyer. She was pretty fatigued and the message hadn't quite set in for her yet. "So? What do you think? Pretty good reason to hurry up and get stronger, huh?", Nisa pulled the flyer away and put it away into her certified pocket dimension that everyone obviously has for their loot. Don't ask where that is. IF crossed her arms and gave Nisa an iffy look.

"Isn't it a bit too early for a tournament arc in this story?", she asked. Nisa's eyes widened and at that moment it felt like the entirety of Planeptune had stopped moving to stare at IF. Nisa put her arm around IF and giggled awkwardly.

"What she MEANT to say was that we needed to train some more to prepare for the preliminary round! Hahaha…", she pulled IF in close and tried to play off the unexpected attack on the 4th wall. She lowered her voice and whispered. "Listen, stuff like that is a pretty touchy subject right now. You can't just go around saying that sort of thing.", she warned. IF slowly nodded as Nisa pulled her arm away from her.

"Anyway, we still have one month to prepare, right? Do you think that will be enough time?", IF asked. Nisa nodded and jumped up onto the railing to strike a pose.

"That's the spirit! We'll meet up again here again tomorrow to begin our training! For now, get some rest! Nisa, out!", the blue haired boombox announced, before jumping off into the city streets and running off as the sounds of cars violently honking at her echoed through town.

IF watched her leave and sighed. What had she gotten herself into? A tournament? One month to prepare? And that's ignoring the fact that she's partnered up with that girl, Nisa. She did seem reliable, though. And that prize was very attractive… if she could work directly with the Goddesses, it would be the best kind of job security for her. And with that many credits, all her money problems would vanish faster than Compa's cooking. She would be able to meet all kinds of fellow adventurers like herself and finally prove her strength to all of Gamindustri. Her unmatched demonic powers that she had gained while venturing through the depths of the abyss and the raging infernos of hell along with the fury and judgment of the high heavens bestowed upon her by ancient demigods from another dimension would certainly leave an impression upon all those who manage to survive such a raw display of pure skill and magic in every single art form known to man, woman, and machine across all the lands. She would become known as-

IF's train of thought was derailed by her ringtone.

"Oh, hey Compa! ...Yeah, I'm not busy. Sure, lets meet up over at the mall… I'll tell you about it when I see you. See you there!", after hanging up, she couldn't help but smile. Hearing the voice of her dear childhood friend made her feel better. Maybe she was just overthinking things. IF walked over to her bike and hopped on. Taking a deep breath, she rode off into the lively streets of Planeptune. Everything was going to be just fine.

**CHAPTER 1… ENTER JUSTICE! THE DOUBLE A DUO!... END.**


	2. Solid Webs: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon Nisa's suggestion, IF signs up for the E3 Grand Prix. What? You didn't think this was going to be THAT easy, right?

The sun shone like any other average day in the Land of Purple Progress. The streets were full of life, with tons of people moving around the busy streets of the shopping district. Tons of people went in and out of the mall, either searching for the latest games or simply window shopping until they felt like the employees were starting to become suspicious. Among the crowds emerged IF, awkwardly holding a bag and a receipt. She shivered as she read what it said. The cleaners wouldn't be able to finish cleaning her coat until tomorrow morning. Without her coat, she felt naked. Unused to not wearing it, she felt cold at even the slightest breeze. She had to manage through the day with only her black one piece on. She put the receipt away and walked up to a trash can. Peering into the bag, she quickly reached into it and pulled out a pistol, then rapidly shoving it into one of the pouches on her belt while dropping the bag into the trash can. After what happened yesterday, she figured it would be a good idea to have some extra firepower just in case she was too exhausted to use magic again. Feeling like she was becoming the subject of public fanservice, she speed walked over to her bike and rode off towards the guild.

IF pulled up up in front of the guild and parked her bike before walking up the steps. She stopped and gave a deep sigh as she was blasted by the winds of Lowee emanating from the air conditioner on the other side of the sliding doors. After walking in, she scanned around the main lobby for her partner. She found her sitting at a table where she appeared to be writing something. Nisa saw some movement from the corner of her eye and raised her head to give IF a smile.

"Iffy! I see you have felt the warmth of Justice. It can be overwhelming at first, but you'll get used to it!", she nodded. IF sat down across from her and rested her arms on the table.

"Actually, my coat's in the cleaners. What sort of thing do you have planned for us today?", IF responded as she leaned forward, eyes on the paper Nisa was writing on.

"Well first, we have to sign up for the tournament!", Nisa announced. She lifted up the paper she was writing on and showed it to IF. It was an application with several fields filled out, the most notable one being Nisa's name signed at the bottom.

"You mean we can't just show up to the preliminaries?"

"No way! Only people who have collected a certain amount of shares can enter. That way, they can make sure that only people who are serious about this can participate. The winner is going to be able to meet the Goddesses themselves, after all!"

Makes sense. If there weren't any kind of vetting process, then a bunch of weirdos could join and make the competition longer than it has to be. Nisa handed an application over to IF and she started to fill it out. It had some basic points to fill out, such as her name and which guild she regularly works at.

"Say, Nisa. How many shares do I need to have earned to qualify?", she asked, looking up from the paper.

"One hundred shares. Do you think you've earned enough?", she asked, stretching in her seat. IF took out her phone to check.

"I should have enough… after all, that request yesterday had a really high re-wait a minute." IF stared at her phone in disbelief. "That rotten little-! Not only did she only pay us half the money, but I only earned a quarter of the shares for it! I only have ninety nine!", IF hissed. Nisa tried to calm her down.

"Hey, that's not so bad! All we need to do is complete a simple request so you get can over the top. Come on, let's go get an easy one!", she said reassuringly.

IF sighed and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Let's get this over with." The pair walked over to a kiosk and looked through the requests. "Hey, none of these quests are that easy. What gives? There were a bunch of them yesterday…", IF muttered. She then heard someone a few kiosks down talking.

"Yaaaay… I helped all of those people today…! My mom won't allow me to do anything dangerous, so I was lucky that there were a bunch of easy requests to do today…", the girl said to herself. She had orange colored hair resting over one shoulder and wore a green shirt along with brown pants. She pulled up her small wooden pickaxe and held it weakly with both hands. "Now I have time to tend to my farm…", she said, before going on her way.

"Isn't it great? Even regular people can become heroes in Gamindustri!", Nisa said with a smile. IF couldn't help but smile, seeing a bit of herself in the young girl.

"Yeah. Everyone can do their part. That's why I want to do mine. Anyway, I guess it can't be helped. We're gonna have to take a harder request. Now, what do we have here…", she scrolled through the list, looking for a decent one to take. She went on until Nisa pointed towards one of the listings.

"We can do this one! It's a request for materials. Depending on the quest… we might even already have some!", she explained.

IF nodded. It would cut their workload in half if they found a request asking for something they already had. Naturally, they searched for a request asking for Dogoo Jelly. Bingo. However, some other materials were also being requested.

"Hey, Nisa. Do you have any of these items on you?", IF asked. Nisa leaned in to get a better look at the screen.

"Hm… yeah, I think I have a few! That narrows this all down to… thick spider webs. To be honest, I never understood why anybody would need this sort of stuff." Nisa scratched her cheek while giving an awkward smile. IF shrugged.

"Me neither. As long as it pays us, I'll take anything. Might as well accept this one since we already have almost all of the materials. I actually have a pretty good idea where we could find some spider webs, too!", IF said with a confident smile. Nisa crossed her arms and grilled IF. "Hold on, you're not gonna suggest we go that swamp, are you?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"You're… not wearing very much. Are you sure you want to go there?"

IF shivered once more, the breeze cooling her more than she would've liked. "Ha, a measly little swamp isn't gonna stop me! Let's go, Nisa!", she responded, with feigned confidence.

It couldn't be that bad, right? Worst case scenario, monsters try to rip her clothes off. She should be able to take care of anything there, though. Nisa saw through the bluff immediately, but decided to keep quiet for once, admiring IF's determination. After making some final preparations, they set out onto the city streets and were on their way. IF didn't want to bring her bike into a musty old swamp, so they had to go on foot. On their way over, they noticed a crowd of protesters standing in front of the Basilicom. Fortunately, they didn't seem to be very riled up and were just holding up signs as the guards made sure to keep them away from the entrance.

"Where's the Goddess?!", one protester shouted.

"How're we supposed to believe in someone we've never even seen?!", another yelled.

"I wanna know if she's hot or not!", a younger one cried.

"Yeah! Maybe she's hiding because she's ugly! How're we supposed to give our faith to an ugly goddess?! If we don't hear from her any time soon, then we're taking our shares elsewhere!", an old man bellowed.

The guards exchanged uneasy glances at each other, the only sign of their emotions being shown being from their mouths. IF glanced at them as they passed by. "Yeah, good luck trying to see the other Goddesses…", she muttered before sighing deeply. This happens every other day. Despite the obvious progress Planeptune has gone through, there were still people who doubted the Goddess, Purple Heart. Luckily the nonbelievers were only a small, but vocal minority. The duo kept walking until the sounds of the protesting faded away as they approached the outskirts of the city.

They were greeted by a calmer, more natural ambience as they travelled down the path surrounded by lush green grass. The occasional dogoo bounced by, though they were harmless on their own. IF gave one a cold stare shook her head to scare it off. Nisa hummed a cheery tune that totally didn't sound like her theme song. After walking for awhile, they decided to take a break in neighboring town. They sat down in a cafe to review their game plan.

"We're only here to collect some spider webs! Don't overdo it this time, okay?", Nisa said.

"Hey, that was an honest mistake. I'm pretty sure I know my limits now.", IF replied with a smirk.

Nisa crossed her arms. "These aren't the same as dogoos, IF. I have to ask. Have you even fought giant spiders before?", she asked in a firm tone.

"What kind of adventurer do you take me for? Of course I have. I'm able to slice and burn them no problem. How about you, Nisa? You're not seriously going to just run and and kick them all, are you?", IF replied with a smirk.

Nisa's eyes widened with shock as she recoiled.

"How'd you know that?!"

"Just a wild guess", IF said with a shrug, "You did that twice last time, after all. Anyway, don't try that here. If you get caught in the spider webs, you won't be able to run away like with the dogoos."

Nisa lept into the air and landed on the chair, standing up with one foot on the table. "The light of Justice shall free me from those bonds!", she announced proudly to the restaurant.

"I guess you won't mind when I leave you behind with the spiders, then", IF stated with an icy glance.

Nisa chuckled awkwardly and climbed back down into her seat. "Heroes shouldn't leave people behind, IF", she answered with a chuckle. The chunni pushed herself up from the table.

"It'd be best if we just stuck to gathering the webs without trying the fight the spiders. If we have to fight, then we have to make it quick before we get overwhelmed", she explained. "Please don't say anything else. It's a death flag waiting to be raised."

The swamp wasn't a very pleasant place to be in. It was humid, musty, and there were flies everywhere. You'd think there would be less of them with all the giant spiders crawling around. IF felt even more naked without her jacket now that insects were landing on her arms. This caused her to periodically wave her hands over her arms to scare them off. Nisa's goggles began getting foggy, so she found herself wiping them off frequently. They found a patch of web and IF began to cut it up. She handed the thick strings to Nisa so she could store them in her backpack. IF initially tried to put the webs into the pouches on her belt, but there was simply too much webbing to fit into them while still carrying her necessary equipment. They kept doing this for a while, trying to sneak around to avoid any monsters.

There would be more dialogue in this scene if it weren't for all the flies waiting for the moment the girls opened their mouths to land their dirty legs inside them. After cutting up a patch of spider web, IF stood up straight to continue walking but then immediately ducked again, signalling Nisa to do the same. They both crawled behind two separate logs and peered over them in unison to observe. Nisa didn't know what IF saw, so she was really surprised to see how close they were to a large, orange spider. The spider stopped and turned its body to look in the direction of the two girls. Nisa knocked on the log she was on to attract the spider's attention. It began to crawl over the log IF was hiding behind, allowing IF to perform a Symbol Attack and eliminate it quickly.

IF and Nisa exchanged nods before IF began to gather webbing from the fallen foe. Nisa moved to the log where IF was hiding behind and zipped open her backpack. She kept watch while the brunette stuffed more and more webbing into her bag as quickly as she could without being too noisy. IF zipped the bag up and tapped Nisa on the shoulder, letting her know she was done. They ran out of inventory space so it was time to go back. Nisa nodded and began to make her way towards the entrance, IF following suit. As fitting stealth music played, the worst case scenario happened: one of them stepped on a stick. Both of their eyes widened, and an exclamation point appeared over the head of every single spider in the area.

"Ru- ACK!", Nisa wanted to yell, but a lone fly had other plans…

The duo started to ignore all stealth mechanics and just made a run for it. Nisa was ahead, but IF quickly overtook her.

"Nisa, come on!", she shouted back. Nisa was already struggling to keep up, thanks to the extra weight in her backpack.

"T-too heavy...!", she complained.

"What?! Those webs are as light as string! They ARE strings!" IF cried out. A spider sent out a shot of web and hit its mark on Nisa's arm, making it even more difficult for her to run. Another spider got her in the back, giving her no choice but to turn around and try to free herself. IF halted with a skid and sprinted over to Nisa.

"I'll send you all into darkness!", she shouted, as she leapt up into the air above Nisa and unleashed her Demon Flames onto the spiders, burning off the webs that had gripped onto Nisa. If there's anything she learned from _Christin_ _'s Guide to Adventuring Vol. 4_ , it was that fire was super effective against spiders. However, IF's quick attack was only able to wound and disorient the monsters. IF backed up while facing the monsters until she was next to Nisa.

"Good diversion, IF!", Nisa praised.

"You can thank me when we get out of here!", IF responded.

Nisa nodded, and they resumed their escape.

* * *

The two girls gasped for breath now that had they finally reached the nearest town.

"That was close… Good thing we both made it out in one piece", IF muttered with a tired smile. Nisa nodded.

"You did great, IF! Your quick thinking really saved the day! As expected of my prized pupil!", she replied cheerfully, with a warm smile on her face. She did a long stretch and placed her hands on her hips. Her usual idle pose.

"Now that we're all done here, let's go turn these in! Come, IF! Justice awaits!", she shouted.

Nisa spun around and did a heroic pose before starting to walk towards the path leading back to Planeptune. However, something caught IF's eye. Or rather, the _lack_ of something caught her eye.

"Nisa… you DO have the webs, right?", she asked while grilling the blue-haired heroine. Nisa stopped walking and silently reached behind herself and felt her back, where her backpack was supposed to be.

"...By Bravery! My bag is gone!", she cried out, "I must have lost it when the web grabbed on to my back!".

IF took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "I knew it was too good to be true", she muttered as she crossed her arms, "What was with you back there, anyway? There's no way those webs could've been that heavy."

Nisa shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat. "Well you see, when my bag is full it gets really heavy."

"It was just string."

"I understand that, but my bag was full."

"That doesn't even make any sense! Bah, whatever. Arguing about it isn't going to get it back", IF barked before crossing her arms.

"We got it once, so we can do it again. Come, IF! Let us ride into battle and claim what is ours for the taking! Justice is on the side of the bold!", Nisa declared heroically as wind blew her scarf into the air and the sun shined brightly behind her, as if Justice itself were right with them at that moment.

"Hold your horses, will ya? After what happened, those spiders must be pretty angry. Running in now wouldn't be a good idea at all", IF spoke up.

"If we don't get that bag back, you won't be able to sign up for the tournament!", Nisa answered back.

"We can just do another request! We still have plenty of time, remember?" IF deflected. Nisa stared at the ground.

"This is not about the string anymore, IF. My backpack… my special backpack was left behind! It's a part of me! As heroines, we must help those in need! That includes our comrades (unless the fate of the world hangs in the balance or something)!", Nisa cried out.

Giving it some thought, IF could feel where Nisa was coming from. She didn't have her own jacket with her right now, after all. Nisa must be feeling the same "nakedness" as her right now. IF nodded to herself with a smile on her face.

"You really are a pain in the neck sometimes, you know that?", she finally answered.

Nisa smiled back and turned around to start walking, only to trip over something. "Yow! When did this get here?!", Nisa coughed out. IF lowered her head to look at the ground. Somehow, a cardboard box had made it's way directly behind Nisa. Overcome with curiosity, IF slowly made her way towards the box and squatted down next to it before giving it a few gentle knocks.

The box erupted, and out popped out a scantily clad woman in silver hair wearing a (tiny) olive green vest, short shorts and bandana, along with knife and a mechanical looking eyepatch.

"R-r-rocketo punth!", she spat out as she took a desperate swipe at IF. For someone who calls herself Gamindustri's "Gust of Wind", her response time was pretty slow. All she could manage to say before a strand of her hair was cut off was: "Whooohooooooooooooa!" IF recoiled and took her daggers out to defend herself from the next swipe. She clashed both of them into the attacker's knife, which allowed the box-crawler to grab one of IF's arms. She then proceeded to kick her below the knee followed by an elbow to the forehead, causing IF to fall onto her back. The woman looked around and placed two fingers on her ear.

"Weeacon, I'm done he-pffft!", she was interrupted by a karate chop to the neck from none other than the blue haired heroine herself. The green-clad woman turned around with a rapid swipe, aiming to take out Nisa in one fell swoop. Nisa backflipped away from danger and lept into the air.

"Behold the power of Love, Bravery and Justice!", she cried out as she threw several knives towards their eye-patched assailant. The woman reacted quickly by shielding herself with the cardboard box she was hiding in. Nisa landed onto the ground after launching her attack and kicked off once more into the air. The attacker threw the knife-filled box away and pulled out a gun, ready to fire it upon Nisa. However, almost as soon as she pointed her gun, Nisa's foot was already but mere inches from her face. "Justice Kick!", Nisa shouted. The kick hit the eye-patch wearing woman so hard, it was replayed several times from several different angles as Justice's latest victim groaned in pain.

Nisa struck a pose over her defeated opponent as a teenager carrying a radio walked by, a familiar victory theme emanating from it. IF groaned as she slowly raised her back from the ground and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She rubbed her forehead and looked up at Nisa, then down at her defeated attacker.

"Who the hell even is this lady?", IF muttered. Balancing herself where she sat, IF opened one of her pouches and took out a Nep Bull. After chugging it down, she felt her strength return to her and got up onto her feet. Nisa shrugged at IF's question.

"No idea. However, my sense of Truth tells me that she must have…", Nisa muttered as she crouched down over the unconscious woman and began to search her possessions.

Around her neck, she found a hint of something silver reflecting sunlight into her eyes. Nisa gently tugged it out and nodded. "...Bingo! A dog tag! It says here name is… Lid." IF approached her crouching partner.

"Lid, huh? Well, how about we ask her what the big idea was, _shall we_?" The brunette slid her hands underneath Lid's armpits and began to drag her. She was heavier than she thought. It must be those sacks of extra weight she's flaunting around. IF couldn't help but take a quick look from time to time until she reached a water fountain. The girl slid her hands away from Lid's arms and lifted her head up, only to dunk it into the water. She submerged her head for a few moments until the silver-haired woman began flailing her arms.

"Pffffffttttttttt! Wh-whath da hellsh?!", Lid spat out. IF couldn't tell if she was coughing out the water or if she had just bit her tongue. Probably both. Nisa walked over and pointed at Lid.

"Only a villain would ambush two heroines of Justice. Who sent you?!", she accused. Lid coughed a little more as she sat on the ground with her back against the fountain.

"Ambush? I have no idea what you're talking about! I was walking around when you suddenly fell over me! I simply reacted according to my training," she spat out.

Nisa nodded and gave the not-so-sneaky box dweller an awkward smile. "I… er… apologize, dear citizen! The fault is all mine!". Lid pushed herself off of the ground and patted the dust off of the little clothing she had.

"This appears to be a misunderstanding… I'll be taking my leave, now", she said as she began to turn away from the duo. She was only able to take one step before IF spoke up, causing her to freeze in place.

"What brings you all the way out here to this remote town, anyway?"

Lid paused for a moment and awkwardly turned back around to face IF. "I… needed to get some spider webs for a mission. To be honest, I was going to sneak up on you two and take yours, but then I found out that you lost all of the web you gathered.", she admitted calmly. IF was about to step forward towards Lid, only to be held back by Nisa.

"I just had a brilliant idea! Stealth is your specialty, right? We could use your skills to get my bag back! If you help us out, we'll share some of the web we gathered with you! A fair trade, don't you think?", she suggested proudly. Lid turned away and gazed into the water fountain, gazing into her own reflection into the water. The three of them stood there quietly for a few moment as the sounds of the water pouring down filled the area.

"I… work better alone.", Lid responded in a serious tone. Briefly after saying this, she looked up and placed two of her fingers onto her ear before getting down onto one knee. IF, being a mobile phone genius could only deduce that Lid was using some sort of tiny mobile device to speak with someone. However… Lid wasn't saying anything at all. Her face reflected emotions that would fit that of someone who was in a conversation, but her lips stood still. After a grunt, she stood up straight and faced Nisa and IF.

"My… associate and I concluded that it would be mutually beneficial for me to help you out," she said to them. Nisa cheered while IF shrugged.

"As long as we get that bag back, I don't care what we do.", IF said nonchalantly. Lid nodded and grinned at them.

"Let's get going and survey the area. We'll come up with a plan once we know what we're dealing with." IF and Nisa nodded and the three of them began walking towards the swamp.

The crosshairs of a scope steadily followed them as they left the town, shuffling between each of their heads. The silent sniper lowered her weapon away from her emerald eyes and placed two fingers over her ear.

"Target acquired. She is not alone. How should I proceed?", she muttered in a quiet, monotone voice.

She paused for a moment, allowing the other person on the line to respond.

"Understood. Pursuing the targets now."

She stood up from her prone position and stood up on the ledge, stretching her arms out. She let herself fall off, flipped through the air, and landed in a crouching position. She waited for her red school uniform to come to a rest before slowly rising up, her vision directed towards the path where IF's group had gone. The girl stood up slowly and adjusted the "K" brooch of her ribbon.

" _Mission Start."_

**CHAPTER 2... END.**


	3. Solid Webs: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF and Nisa team up with Lid to retrieve Nisa's backpack, which holds the items they need to complete a request, from a horde of spiders. Little did they know, a snake was on their trail...

The muggy swamp was faintly illuminated by what little sunlight made it through the trees. The suffocating humidity and buzzing insects gave the trio the welcome they pretty much expected. IF was slapping mosquitoes off of her bare arms and legs while Nisa was extra careful not to let any flies enter her mouth again. Lid walked a few paces in front of them, unphased. The insects seemed uninterested in her. Curious, IF spoke up.

"Hey, what gives? Why aren't the bugs going after you?", she commented.

Lid stepped through a puddle and glanced back towards IF. "When you've mastered the art of stealth, even insects can't detect you."

Nisa skipped over some rocks and hopped in front of Lid. "Do you truly mean to say that right now, you're camouflaged?!", she asked.

The eye-patched woman nodded. "That's right. My camouflage level is currently at 98%. I could even hide from the two of you right now if I wanted to." She walked around Nisa and continued to move forward. IF followed Lid and stopped to lock eyes with Nisa, the two of them exchanging shrugs. They continued to walk behind Lid, traversing the muddy, unstable terrain of the swamp. IF sighed at the thought of having to bring what she was wearing to the cleaners after this. They didn't even finish cleaning her jacket yet…

"Hey, IF", Nisa whispered, "do you really think she's as good as she says at sneaking around?"

After thinking about it for a moment, IF replied. "Eh, no clue. Guess we'll just have to take her word for- wait." The brunette came to a halt and looked around. "You've gotta be kidding me."

Nisa walked up and slowly paced around. "Ahaha, very funny, Lid! You sure got us real good! You can come out now!", she called out, trying to keep her voice as low as possible while still somehow sounding like she was shouting.

There was no response. A few moments of a cricket chirping passed, interrupted by a bird chirping, and then the cricket chirping stopping. "I can't believe she ditched us!", IF cried out. Nisa remained calm, trying to look around to see if she could find the elusive box-dweller. "To think we came all this way, just to be played like a damn fiddle!", IF grumbled, slashing at a tree. Almost as soon as she struck the tree, a bullet blasted the trunk and shattered it, causing the tree to fall over.

"Calm down, IF. There is no need to take this out on these fair trees.", Nisa called out.

"T-that wasn't me!", IF shouted back. Another shot rang out, which prompted the duo to dive for cover behind some trees. Some distance away, a sailor suited sniper became disoriented as her targets suddenly scrambled away from her scope. She regained her composure and began scanning the area for anything that was _too_ flat. IF and Nisa kept quiet as to not attract any attention to themselves.

"If we're getting sniped at, then whoever is shooting at us probably isn't close enough to hear us.", IF spoke up, "How do we get out of this?"

Nisa picked up her scarf and held it out in the open, only for it to be promptly ripped up by another sniper shot. "They responded to that quickly. The enemy must be out in the open. IF! Give me some cover fire! I'll run in and dispatch the enemy!" IF was about to argue against that, however a nearby tree being blasted down promptly changed her mind. "This plan's insane... But it's the only one we've got!"

IF carefully pulled her gun out of her belt so that she didn't lose her elbow in the process. She looked towards Nisa who gave her a thumbs up, and nodded at her. After taking a deep breath, IF moved her arm out and began shooting blindly towards the general direction of the shooter. Nisa didn't waste any time and bolted forward, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever was shooting at them while crouching forward to stay out of IF's line of fire.

Meanwhile, the sniper rolled away and repositioned herself before returning fire. Her shot blasted the ground somewhere near the tree IF was hiding behind, sending mud and leaves flying everywhere. This gave Nisa some of the information she needed to track the shooter's location. She slid behind a tree for cover, and listened as their attacker took more shots. IF had stopped shooting so she wouldn't wouldn't get caught. Nisa picked up a rock and threw it towards a tree to create some noise and divert their attacker's attention. Unfortunately for her, the shooter was way too experienced to fall for that. Another shot went out. This time, it struck the tree next to IF's hiding spot. Without thinking, Nisa jolting from where she was hiding.

"Avert your eyes no longer! The light of Justice rises from the East! Over here, villain!", Nisa shouted. "That's WEST!", IF barked out.

Nisa strode forward, dashing around from tree to tree, shots following her every move as she kept faking out her attacker. IF found her opening to move in closer, approaching wherever Nisa was running from a different angle. She moved out in the open now that Nisa was drawing away fire. Her gun now reloaded, IF tried to make out where the shooting was coming from. Meanwhile, Nisa continued to elude the blasts, using the swamp itself to her advantage to hide from the shooter's scope. Closer and closer she ran, until she finally began climbing between two trees by kicking off of them until she reached the top. She now had the crimson shooter in her sights, resting on top of a cliff. Nisa visualized her next move, lept off, and shut her down with her swift signature kick. At least, that's what was _supposed_ to happen.

The schoolgirl wasted no time and blasted the branch in half, ruining Nisa's jump and causing her tumble onto the cliff. She regained her footing and sprinted toward the sniper, only to have her advance halted by an explosion. In true comedic fashion, the most harm that came to Nisa was a bunch of soot on her face and clothing. However, this forced her onto her knees. The shooter smirked.

"Not so tough now, huh?", she spoke up. Her voice was low and monotone. She put her sniper away and took out a handgun as she slowly approached Nisa, keeping in mind to stay a certain distance away from her. In her mind, she knew she couldn't win at close range. Nisa slowly raised one of her hands to wipe some soot off of her face. "It's always darkest before the dawn…", she grinned, as the warm embrace of the Light caressed her face. It was almost contagious. The young gunman could even feel the warmth herself. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was.

A wave of fire surged towards the attacker, the Gust of Wind standing with her arm outstretched behind it. The enemy quickly turned around and took a shot, wounding IF and causing her to flinch. Unfortunately for the shooter, there was nothing she could do to stop the flames. The three of them were now on their knees, breathing heavily. They all exhaustedly traded glances, watching for the other person's next move. IF clenched her arm as she panted, sweat pouring off of her forehead. She had to sprint as fast as she could to make it there in time and only just barely made it. Because Nisa had more stamina than her, she was probably the most exhausted one. She held onto her daggers tightly, watching the schoolgirls' every move. She was prepared to respond as soon as she moved a muscle.

The quiet breathing was all that could be heard over the swamp's ambience. The attacker was down on one knee with her head down. Her hair hid her eyes as her chest rose and fell. You could practically see the metal gears turning in her head as she planned her next move. Nisa was calculating how long it would take for her to reach the attacker if she sprinted. They continued to breathe heavily as they all planned their next move. A second too early would leave them open to attack. A second too late would be game over. The wildlife continued to go on about it's business as the three girls were waiting for the moment of truth. The sounds of buzzing insects and frogs ribbiting could be heard in the background. The buzzing rang in all of their ears, causing nothing more than a minor inconvenience. It wasn't until a frog halted the buzzing that time began to move again.

The attacker quickly rose her hands up, gun in each, only to have one of them knocked out of her hand by one of IF's daggers. Another shot rang out before IF could respond, causing IF to snap her attention towards Nisa. All the heroine could do at that distance was raise her arms and brace herself for the shot that never came. The schoolgirl's hands were now empty. She froze in place and slowly moved her hands onto her head. "I should have known you were still here. I honestly thought you had abandoned them so you could escape.", she muttered.

Out of nowhere, Lid emerged with a gun pointing at the attacker. "Kept ya waiting, huh? I'm surprised you found me, K-Sha.", she replied.

A seething glare emanated from the young girl as she grilled Lid so hard that her mechanical eyepatch looked like it was starting to overheat. "That would be my line. I'm surprised you actually came back for these two. Or rather, that you even grouped up with them at all." she muttered, giving the tall woman a smirk.

The two gritty gun girls continued their exchange as IF and Nisa began to make their way towards them. IF pulled out two Nep Bulls from the pouches on her belt, and tossed one over to Nisa. They both opened them and chugged them as if they were trying really hard to be in sync, but failed miserably. With their wounds magically restored with the oh so mysterious power of energy drinks, they were now ready to speak up.

"You know this kid?", IF asked. "You're not exactly too old yourself, IF…", Nisa butted in.

"Did you say something?"

"N-no! I was just exercising my chords of steel!"

"Yes, tell them, Lid. Tell them who I am.", K-Sha taunted. Lid took a deep breath and closed her eyes, a very well sketched out flashback beginning to play in her mind. "We were… sisters in arms. K-Sha and I were trained to be the perfect soldiers. However, she was better at weapon usage, whereas I was better suited for covert missions and close quarters combat. Our missions were sponsored by the Lastation government and usually involved tasks behind enemy lines in PC Continent. We were masters of deception, confusing our enemies from within their own ranks. They would never know we were even there. That is, until there was a leak. With our positions compromised, we were forced to take extreme measures so we could escape. Once word got out that we were trying to meddle in the affairs of PC Continent, Lastation denied all responsibility and cut off all ties to our group. This left us all on our own to take the fall. After this, the leadership of our company began making more and more questionable decisions... That was when I left."

K-Sha looked up and locked eyes with Lid. "You left because you caused it. You're the only one who could have leaked that information! You were a double agent this whole time! And now you're blaming it all on the organization?!", she growled. IF's eyes widened in complete shock. "The Organization?!", she interrupted. Nisa watched obliviously as the atmosphere of the group changed. "What's the Organization?"

IF crossed her arms. "You've never heard of it? Well, I guess it's to be expected… Only a select chosen few would know about them. The Organization is responsible for all of the unspeakable evil that happens in the world.", she began to explain, unironically. Nisa wasn't sure whether IF was messing with her or not, but decided to clarify anyway. "Such evil can not stand. What deeds have these villains wrought?", she responded. IF placed one hand on her hip, and the other over one of her eyes. "Only the most unspeakable crimes. If I told you, then I'd only be putting you in harm's way." Her tone was completely serious and had absolutely no hints of irony. She truly believed this was the case.

"It's nothing like that.", K-Sha responded plainly. She made sure not to move a muscle as to not cause Lid to make a mess. "Perhaps you're thinking of another organization. Our organization mostly did high risk reconnaissance missions. The two of us were sent to PC Continent to try to help with the anti-piracy effort from the inside. Which brings me to ask…", Lid looked directly into K-Sha's eyes, "Why are you following me?"

K-Sha stared back silently for a moment, her green eyes staring back with feverish intensity. Whether she was sweating due to the humidity or the intensity of the staredown was anyone's guess. "We were trained to be weapons of the organization. To be used to carry out duties for our country. I was sent to reclaim one of their weapons. But besides that… I'm here to get my sister back. Lid… please..." Her voice deviated from the usual monotone voice she was using to adopt a more lively, passionate tone.

Lid shifted in place and hummed. "I can not return until I discover the truth of what happened on PC Continent that day.", she responded sternly. To this, K-Sha lowered her head and stared at the ground, her bangs falling over her eyes. Her hands remained on her head, and her shoulders began to tremble. "I'm sorry, K-Sha."

"I guess that's it, then. I wish she didn't have to go and cry like that… now I feel like we're the bad guys.", IF sighed. Nisa shouted in response. "Don't even joke about that! We're heralds of peace, not bullies!" The brunette simply shrugged off Nisa's concern as what sounded like sobbing began to come from the defeated high schooler. "D-don't cry! She said she would come back once she finds out the truth! The truth never remains hidden forever!", Nisa tried to console the girl, but halted when she began to mutter something.

"I understand your decision… But...", K-Sha muttered, "...If I can't have you… nobody can!" K-Sha pulled one of her hands from underneath her hair and looked up, revealing not tears, but laughter. In her hand she held a grenade, ready to blow at any moment. She hurled it forward, causing it to land in the middle of all four of the girls. IF, Nisa and Lid's eyes all looked down onto it in shock and tried to get away from it. While their attention was diverted, bullets descended from the heavens and wrought havoc onto the mud in a straight line, approaching Lid. She somersaulted out of the way, giving K-Sha an opening to grab onto a rope ladder that swung by her. IF looked up and saw what they now had to deal with- a combat helicopter.

"Get under the trees!", Nisa yelled. The trio frantically made a run for it. The helicopter maintained its sights onto Lid exclusively. Once they all got beneath the branches, the helicopter rose up higher into the air to try to search for them. Though all three of them were able to make it into cover, Lid had sustained some heavy damage. She collapsed onto the ground after reaching safety. Her flat companions noticed this and quickly ran to her aid. "IF! Give her one of your Nep Bulls!", Nisa frantically blurted out.

IF quickly searched her pouches. "I-I'm all out!"

"What do you mean you're all out?!"

"We already used them all! These things are expensive, you know!"

Lid groaned and began muttering something. "I have… ra...ra…" Nisa lit up as she realized what the busty soldier meant. She reached into… _somewhere_ and pulled out a cup. "Huh? Ramen? I thought you were trying to say 'rations'!" Nisa said, looking at the container with a dumbfounded expression. "Who cares?! Just hurry up and give it to her!", IF shouted. "This needs to be cooked first! It's not healthy to eat this raw…", Nisa began to speak, only for IF to talk over her. "For pete's sake, just give her the damn ramen!". Nisa unsealed the container and opened Lid's mouth, proceeding to pour the noodles and powdered condiments down the hatch. Lid was able to chew on the hard, uncooked noodles herself. With each bite, she regained more and more energy until she sat up and took the cup from Nisa, devouring all that remained. She smiled and savored the taste. "The food of the future."

IF sighed in relief. "Now that we're all okay, let's figure out how we're going to deal with that helicopter." Nisa nodded in agreement as Lid rose to her feet. Out of… _somewhere else_ , she pulled out a familiar penguin backpack and handed it to Nisa. "I went ahead earlier so I could go get it.", she said. Nisa joyfully took the backpack and shoved her arms through the straps, rocking a pose after putting it on. "That's fine and all, but you could have at least given us a heads up! Anyway, back to our helicopter problem.", IF complained. Lid took out some grenades and held them out.

After a brief moment, IF protested once more. "You've got to be kidding me." Nisa took one of the grenades. "So we're going to use these? How're we supposed to get high enough to even reach it?", she asked. Lid looked up towards the trees. "We're going to climb up and throw them at the helicopter. A few well placed hits to the propellers should be enough to take it down", she explained. "Are we supposed to just climb up and wait, hoping it passes by us? We could be waiting for hours!", IF replied. Nisa nodded in agreement. "We've already exhausted all of our resources. We need to end this now!" Lid reached behind her and pulled out a box of matches. "I'm going to start a fire to bait them in. We'll get into the trees and once the chopper is in range, we'll take it down." IF had some problems with this plan, but they were running out of options here. All she could do was listen to Lid's plan, since in the end, Lid knew what she was doing more than IF was. Without any further complaints, they put their plan into motion…

As IF hid amongst the tree branches near the top of a tree, she continued to doubt whether this plan would even work. It was so… spontaneous. Too… convenient. Wouldn't K-Sha be able to see that this was obviously a trap? Wasn't she trained to deal with this sort of thing? Surely she wouldn't fall for something like this. What the young chuunibyou didn't account for, however, was how over the edge the yandere was at this point. Under her command, the chopper feverishly searched around the swamp for the elusive stealth mistress. She wanted to be with Lid, whether she was alive or not. In her obsession, she impulsively ordered the pilot to go straight towards the bait, the helicopter hovering right in the middle of the triple mousetrap. What a thrill it was, awaiting for the right moment with darkness and silence through the night. While IF's mind was still in a dream, Lid gave the signal.

Two grenades hit home, causing the main propeller to slow down dramatically. K-Sha realized what was going on before it was far too late, and lept out of the chopper before IF could put the final nail in the coffin by hitting the back propeller. The helicopter spun out of control and flew away into some trees, out of sight. K-Sha had a parachute, but it served her little use for her with all the tree branches around. Luckily, she was able to break her fall by hitting branches on her way down. The predators climbed down the trees to assess their prey. Aside from some scratches, bruises and torn clothes, K-Sha was fine. The trio approached her with weapons at the ready this time. "You won't catch us off guard again! Surrender quietly!", Nisa announced.

K-Sha groaned as she slowly stood up. "Lid… come back to me… Lid!", she yelled. She swayed in place, as if in a dizzy trance. "What do we do?", IF asked in a low voice, "Even after all that, she's still standing…" Lid quickly and expertly switched guns, keeping a weapon aimed at K-Sha at almost all times. "I've switched to a tranquilizer. We'll knock her out and get out of here…", Lid answered. "I won't leave her here at the mercy of the spiders. Lets bring her back to the nearby town.", Nisa added. After everyone agreed, Lid set her sights on K-Sha and was now prepared to pull the trigger. "You're MINE, Lid! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MI-", K-Sha went on and on, until Lid took the shot. The tranquilizer shot hit K-Sha right between the eyes. It was over.

At least, it should have been. K-Sha was so far off the deep end that the tranquilizer was as harmful as a fly, which by the way, had just entered IF's mouth. As she coughed and hacked in the background, K-Sha continued to ramble on. Lid took a few more shots, which were just as effective as the first. The ground began to shake, as K-Sha's voice began to get louder. "What's going on? She doesn't have any super powers, does she?!", Nisa shouted. Suddenly, K-Sha lept into the air, and a giant robot landed in her spot. Lid and Nisa watched in shock as K-Sha landed inside the cockpit. "Nobody can keep you from me, Lid! NOT EVEN YOU, SISSSSSSSTERRRR!", K-Sha shrieked. Nisa began to hop in place, pumping herself up for this next fight. "What's the plan now, Lid?"

Lid's eyes remained wide as she observed the bipedal machine before them. "M- M3-TL G3R!", she bit her tongue, caught completely off guard. She regained her composure and lowered her weapon, staring down the enemy before her. After a few moments, she turned her head towards Nisa. "...She's only after me. Take IF and go." Nisa would've replied if it weren't for the absolute resolve on Lid's face. "Don't worry. I'll be able to lose her easily in this swamp."

"What about our deal?", Nisa replied quickly. "Don't worry. I already got what I needed. Nisa looked down for a moment, hesitant to leave Lid behind. She accepted Lid's decision with a nod, and ran to get the struggling IF. After a whack to her back, the fly left her throat. IF panted and stood up straight. "C'mon, she'll take it from here. Let's go!", IF blurted out. They went their separate ways, Lid leading K-Sha and her weapon deeper into the swamp…

* * *

It was night time by the time they had returned to Planeptune. They went straight to the guild and turned in the request, _finally_ securing the amount of shares IF needed to sign up for the Grand Prix. After turning in the application, she was officially in. "Phew... and that's that.", IF said with a sigh of relief. "Great job today, IF! Though, you were getting pretty fatigued at the end there.", Nisa said with a smile. IF shrugged, noticing that her shrugs were lighter than usual. Then she realized that her coat was still in the cleaners. She wondered if there was a chance that they finished cleaning it early…

"IF, I need to do some errands tomorrow so I won't be able to train with you." Nisa announced. "Fine by me. I think I can handle myself better now after gaining so much experience today. It's not everyday you take down a helicopter, after all.", IF replied with a smirk. The two said their goodbyes for the day and parted ways. IF decided to see if she could pick up her coat early, so she hopped on her bike and cruised on over to the cleaners. Luckily it wasn't too busy that day due to the protests, so they were able to give IF her coat back completely spotless and with the refreshing odor of clean laundry. She thanked the clerk and put it on right on the spot. IF exited the shop and checked her phone as she returned to her bike. Upon reaching her bike, she noticed there was something off about it.

The brunette walked up and picked up what appeared to be some sort of stuffed animal sitting on the seat. It looked like a white pig, however there was something wrong with it's face. Half of it was black and had a twisted grin on it's face. "Just another stupid prank.", IF sighed. Something suddenly came over IF and she felt incredibly sleepy. Her eyes became heavier and heavier and she could do naught to fight it. She finally slumped over onto her motorcycle and surrendered into the night.

The feeling of cold, hard steel against her body shocked IF awake. She was lying on the ground and appeared to have been asleep for a while. She didn't recognize where she was, but it appeared to be the inside of some sort of factory. The windows were all bolted up with metal panels, so she couldn't see outside. She stood up and looked around, trying to figure out how she got there. There was a monitor on the wall that was powered off, and a camera facing the middle of the room that seemed to follow the girl's every move. She felt like something was completely off. Let's be honest here, of course there was. IF began to think out loud.

"Let's see… I picked up my coat from the cleaners…", she said as she checked her pockets to make sure she had all of her belongs, "And then I found some weird stuffed animal on my bike. And then… I woke up here in some abandoned warehouse or whatever? And, of course, my phone has no signal. Oh come on, this wreaks! This kind of crap only happens in lame, washed up horror movies!", she complained. Her words seemed to have sparked the monitor to life, and a girl with the head of a pig appeared on the screen. However, half of her face was black and had a twisted grin on it, just like the stuffed animal IF found.

_**"HELL-O, everyone! You're probably wondering where you are, and most importantly, who this gorgeous creature on the TV screen is! I'm DanDan! Welcome, to Ran Ran Ronpa!"** _

**CHAPTER 3… END.**

* * *

_**Author's Note: The next chapter will be a parody of Danganronpa. However, because I chose to make this story rated T, it will not be as violent and graphic as in said game.** _


	4. RanRanRonpa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding a mysterious stuffed animal on her bike, IF must to take part in a twisted game orchestrated by "DanDan" along with some familiar faces...

IF gazed upon the monitor with a look of bewilderment across her face. She couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach. She had meant to finally be able to lay in bed and rest in peace, but little did she know that she would regret using that particular choice of words.

"Aw, don't look so gloomy! Smile for the audience! You're being watched by hundreds of thousands of people online right now!", DanDan announced.

The monitor now displayed what indeed appeared to be a livestream. The viewer count was well in the hundred thousands, with millions of views. The chat to the right moved completely rapidly and was completely unreadable, save for when people were spamming emotes or messages in caps lock. Most notable to IF, however, was the indistinguishable website. She was familiar with the most common live streaming websites like Neptube and NepuNepuDouga, but this website in particular seemed to be quite shady. It must have been one of those dark net sites that you need special software to access…

"Now that that's cleared up, let's get you ladies moving so we can get this show on the road, shall we? I need to keep my viewers entertained!", the monitor boomed again.

Smiling was the last thing IF could do at this point. She wasn't sure whether or not she should feel relieved to find out that she wasn't the only person who seemed to have been kidnapped.

IF looked around the room she was in and stopped when she found the door. Taking a deep breath, she firmly held the knob and turned it, slowly opening the door. She looked up to make sure there wasn't a guillotine waiting for her to poke her head out before actually peering outside.

It looked like an ordinary conveniently abandoned factory that nobody would think to check at all if a bunch of people happened to have been kidnapped at around the same time. IF gulped before she stepped outside.

She walked through the dark, concrete hallways with caution, keeping her mind at high alert. Obviously, she couldn't trust this "DanDan". Cameras followed IF as she walked down the hallways. She couldn't help but look up at some of them as she passed by. A sense of unease grew within her chest as she thought about the "audience" that was watching her. What exactly were these "games" she was going to be forced to do in front of these viewers? Why hasn't anyone reported a stream that broadcasts the victims of a kidnapping? IF's mind continued to wander until she reached a large gate.

After pressing a large button beside the gate, it opened up and IF walked through. She was now inside an enormous room that contained an assortment of large machinery that was in surprisingly good shape. If it weren't for the shape the rest of the factory seemed to be in, you wouldn't think it was abandoned at all.

The assortment of people gathered here seemed to be pretty normal. It's like they were just plucked out of a crowd and dropped into someone's twisted doll house. IF did, however, recognize at least one person here. Unfortunately, it wasn't someone she wanted to see. Even more unfortunately, this person jogged over to IF before she had the chance to hide.

"Hey! You're one of the one who lost my bike!", the athletic girl said, "Leafy, right?"

"Iffy. But that's just a nickname. My actual name is IF", the chuunibyou reaffirmed, "And most importantly, I didn't lose your bike! Do you have any idea how much trouble we had to go through because you didn't pay us properly?!"

"Well, maybe if you had done the FULL job, you would have received the FULL payment.", Elsa rebutted.

The other people gathered inside the factory began to glance towards IF and Elsa.

"Don't give me that crap! We did the job, so we get the reward! You can't just give us half of what we were offered because YOU messed up!", IF barked.

The two girls exchanged glares before they were interrupted by the large monitor appearing in front of the group.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies! There's no need to fight! Save it for the games!", DanDan announced.

Everyone's eyes drifted over to the monitor, bracing themselves for the possible barrage of pig puns and the revelation of what was going on. IF crossed her arms and listened in to hear what DanDan had to say.

"How do you find my pig pen? I made sure to clean it up for you! Now that you're all here, allow me to re-introduce myself! My name is DanDan, and this is RanRanRonpa! The show where our contestants must live in a factory among total strangers! Who KNOWS what will happen! Romance? Drama? Friendship? Will they squeal with despair, or will they be able to hoof off unscratched?", the pig-faced narrator announced.

IF and a few others cringed at the hamfisted puns. One of the sharp looking captives spoke up.

"I never agreed to this! My lawyers will surely hear about this tasteless charade! Now, tell me where the exit is and _maybe_ I'll reconsider whether or not I'll press any charges.", he said.

Everyone watched the sole male as he spoke, then their attention slowly drifted back to the monitor to see their captor's response. Though the dark side of her face was grinning by default, the white half of DanDan's face broke out into a grin that mirrored the darker half.

"Ah, my apologies, sir! Why, of course I'll let you go!", DanDan responded in a cheery tone. One could say it was the "normal" tone that "Ran Ran's" spoke in. It was almost like she had just snapped out of a trance. The swine lady appeared to push a button, and a grand door seemed to open up behind the crowd.

Everyone pivoted around to look at the exit, forced to cover their eyes from the bright light that greeted them. The sweet sounds of freedom could be heard from the other side, as if calling to the captives to approach it.

The sharp businessman adjusted his tie. "I'm glad we could resolve this in a professional, civilized manner. Now, if you'll excuse me…". He muttered as he approached the exit with no hesitation whatsoever, everyone else in the room watching in awe and anxiety. Was it really that going to be that easy?

As soon as he stepped into the ray of hope, all that could be heard was a shriek of despair. Everyone felt goosebumps and a sense of dread come over them. A curiosity that just couldn't help but crawl it's way into their minds emerged within them as they wondered what exactly happened to the gentleman. IF turned back to look at the monitor, which now displayed the livestream and chat reactions. Out of all the absolute illegible spam, IF could only make out a few messages such as "Friggin' rekt", "it begins" and "20 credits the flatty is next".

After a few tense moments of silence, IF was startled when one of the girls spoke up.

"W-what did you do to him?", she whimpered.

"Hmmmm? I didn't do a thing~! He stepped out on his own! As to what happened to him… well… ah! There he comes now!", DanDan responded nonchalantly.

All heads turned to face the exit once more. Expecting to see someone of a man's height, they were astonished when all they saw a pile of his clothing moving in on it's own. However, upon further inspection, his fate became clear: he was turned into a Ran Ran pig.

Gasps and shrieks could be heard throughout the group and the air seemed to become much heavier. IF's heart skipped a beat as she was unable to fend off her own fear. Elsa averted her eyes and bit her nails to try to cope with the shock. DanDan's screen took up the whole monitor once more.

"Anyone else wanna get some easy curves? No? Aaaaaaaalright then! As I said before, you'll all be living here! And as our volunteer was so kind to show us, anyone who tries to leave will be Ran-ified!", the pig mistress announced.

"I don't want to live in a factory! I have to get to school!", one girl spoke up.

"Yeah! I gotta go job hunting! Rent's due next week…", a hooded one ranted.

"I… I don't feel so good…", a meek girl said.

"I don't want to turn into a pig!", another girl shouted.

"WOULD YOU ALL SHUT YOUR MEATHOLES FOR A SECOND?!", DanDan roared.

The room fell silent as the small crowd grew fearful of what their captor might do next. In the silence, IF tried to calm down and maintain her composure. Panicking about turning into pork wouldn't be of any help to her here. However, this thought reminded her of the man- now pig- who now waddled around the room aimlessly as it's clothing dragged along behind it. DanDan noticed the newest little piggy now waddling among the crowd, and scratched her chin.

"Hm… I guess I should take care of this fresh meat before I continue. Momma DanDan always said to clean up our own mess! I mean, we're not _animals_ , am I right?", DanDan snickered.

Suddenly, the monitor opened up in half, and a claw shot out from the curtain behind it. It snapped around the pig, and yanked it into the abyss before the monitor snapped back together to become whole again. A girl who was standing near where the pig was plucked up fainted.

"W-what are you going to do with him?", one girl asked.

DanDan grinned so wide that it looked like her mouth could barely fit on her face.

" _What kind of factory do you think this is?_ "

Elsa bit down onto her nail so hard that her finger began to bleed. Slowly but surely, everyone figured out what exactly the kind of factory they were in. Everyone began to panic among themselves. IF felt a terrible chill overcome her, and reached for her elbow uncomfortably. It certainly wasn't an _idea_ factory.

"Aw, don't be scared! I won't do anything unless you try to leave without my permission!", DanDan said in a reassuring tone.

"How're we supposed to get your permission, then?", Elsa asked.

"I thought you'd would never ask!", DanDan snickered, "Back in all of your rooms, you'll find a gun. Don't worry, they're not REAL guns. They're RanRanGuns! Give someone a zap and they'll be squealing in no time! All you've gotta do is convert someone into a Ran Ran! Once you do that, you'll have my permission to leave. Just walk right out!".

This made the room feel even more tense than before. IF could feel everyone's eyes shoot across the room trying to figure out who they could and couldn't trust.

"But that's not all!", DanDan explained, "To prevent this from becoming some sort of battle royale, there are also some other things you need to worry about. Whenever someone gets porked, you guys have to try to figure out who did it! If you guess wrong, the real perpetrator walks free, and the accused AND the accuser get turned into Ran Ran's! Guess right, and I will _personally_ meet out Justice upon the perpetrator! And because I am a gracious host, the 'accuser' who guesses correctly gets to go free! No strings attached!"

"This is ridiculous! I don't want to be a pig! They're fat and play in the mud all day!", Elsa responded.

"This pig lady's friggin' nuts!", the hooded girl shouted.

"WHAT was that?", DanDan glared.

"N-nothing, ma'am!", the hooded girl squeaked.

"Good. Now, you're all free to roam around and do whatever you want! Go mingle and meet your pals! Start some drama! Plan their demise! Get steamy for the cameras! The viewers will love it!", DanDan said with a snort, before the monitor went dark.

While everyone began to scatter and mingle, IF held her chin and thought to herself. She thought about where she was, and how she could get out. The least risky way, she concluded, was to find some trustworthy allies and find out how to take down DanDan. While worrying about not getting turned into Ran Ran's, of course. She nodded to herself and set out to gain some allies.

However, unfortunately for her, everyone seems to have already left… IF looked around frantically for someone she could talk to. Anyone. She quickly ran through the main factory and at the turn of a corner, ran right into someone else. They both recoiled and fell backwards onto the ground. After a moment to recover from the impact, IF summoned one of her daggers and leapt to her feet, holding the dagger towards the girl who was now beneath her.

"W-waaaah! Please don't shoot me! I'll do whatever you want!", the hooded girl begged. She covered her face and shut her eyes as she cowered in fear.

"Really, now? How do I know you're not gonna shoot me the first chance you get?", the brunette asked, menacingly.

"I don't even know where the rooms are supposed to be! What the hell kinda factory has bedrooms, anyway?!", the girl insisted.

"...Fair point.", IF responded. She put her dagger away and stepped back to allow the girl to get up.

"Everyone here's friggin' crazy! A bunch of people are actually trying to get their hands on one of those Gal Guns or whatever! Why the hell isn't anyone trying to find where that half-burnt bacon is instead?!", the girl barked.

"Hey, quiet down! Are you trying to piss her off? There are cameras everywhere, you know!", IF said in a hushed tone.

"Cameras? She's not gonna record us while we change our clothes or anything, right? In front of a bunch of creeps online? This is seriously messed up...", the thuggish girl sighed.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about what a bunch of no-life losers think. If anyone decent were watching this stream, they would've already reported it. Those people probably don't even leave their homes…", IF reassured.

At that moment it felt as if thousands of Flat Enthusiasts were suddenly silenced…

"Anyway, the name's IF. A Gust a Wind, soaring through Gamindustri!", IF said, while brushing some of her hair aside for dramatic effect.

"Aw crap, I got stuck with some kid…", the girl mumbled. She pushed herself up and dusted off her gray hoodie. "Yeah, that's great and all, but we really need to get moving. I ain't turning into a freaking pig!"

"R-right. Let's go do that.", IF responded. She felt completely shut down after her introduction was brushed off.

* * *

The two girls began looking around the main room of the facility, searching for a corridor that might lead them to the dormitory wing. They moved through the labyrinth of machinery until they finally reached a corridor that was different from the others. They began to walk through it with each one of them moving along opposite sides of the corridor.

"So, you have some sort of brilliant plan to get us out of here?", the hooded girl spoke up to break silence.

"None that I'd bring up while we're out in the open like this.", IF responded.

"Still paranoid about that creep's cameras, huh? There has to be some sort of limit to them. I mean, did you see that stream? This is whole thing must be a one man show!", the girl explained.

"Oh, I get it! Since she has to keep the audience entertained, there's no way she could keep track of everyone at once!", IF replied.

"All we've gotta do is be really boring so that creep won't even think of giving us screen time! It's genius!", the girl boasted proudly.

Little did they know, their enthusiasm caught a camera's attention and they were now the ones being displayed on the stream. As the gracious host DanDan was, she offered commentary for her viewers.

"And now we have these two sharing a warm moment in the cold depths of abyss! I guess you could say they found common ground with a good ol' heart to heart. Good thing they don't have any knockers in the way to stop that, am I right? Gee, I wonder what will happen next?", DanDan snickered as the stream chat tried to incoherently answer her question.

"By the way, I never caught your name.", IF brought up. The girl nodded at IF.

"Oh, I guess I never introduced myself. Better do that now before I for-"

"Stop right there!", a voice cried out from behind them.

The pair froze in place and dared not to move a muscle. The hooded girl seemed to struggle against the urge to make a run for it. IF took deep breaths to remain calm.

"I didn't think you were the type to shoot someone you know, Elsa.", IF said. The athlete held her gun up and shuffled her aim between the two girls.

"Hands up, Leafy. I don't trust those sleeves of yours. Then turn around, slowly.", Elsa demanded.

IF obeyed and refrained from correcting Elsa while giving her a piercing glare. Elsa pointed her gun towards the hooded girl.

"You. You're my underling now. Pat down Leafy here and check for anything useful."

"Why the hell should I listen to a broad like you?", the hooded girl barked.

"Well, my daddy's rich so I could solve that rent problem you mentioned earlier!", Elsa said.

"Y-yes ma'am! I'll be your underling!", the girl responded quickly. She huddled over behind IF, whose eyes widened with surprise.

"W-wait, you're just gonna join her that easily?!", IF complained.

"Sorry kid, nothin' personal…", Underling mumbled, before checking IF. She patted down her coat and checked her belt pouches for items.

"So? What did you find?", Elsa asked.

"All she's got is a lame looking phone!", Underling answered, as she held it up.

"Hey, give that back! It's not like you can make a phone call here, anyway!", IF shouted.

"What makes you think I need your dirty old phone? Daddy already bought me the latest phone on the market months before it even hit the shelves!", Elsa scoffed.

Despite their roles, IF and Underling still had it in them to glance at each other in disbelief over Elsa's reaction. Underling went ahead and handed IF her phone back.

"As you can see, neither one of us are even armed. Why don't we cut the crap and just work together?", IF said.

"You're not armed? Don't tell me you two haven't even found the dormitory wing yet...", Elsa said disappointed.

"Sorry. I got distracted trying to figure out how to get out of here rather than how I can turn this place into a pig pen.", IF responded as she crossed her arms.

"Well you're not going anywhere if you stand around thinking all the time.", Elsa shrugged. She placed one hand on her hip and pulled back her gun. "If we're going to be working together, then you're going to need your _own_ guns. Come on, I'll lead you to the dormitory wing."

* * *

Elsa had the two of them walking ahead and behind her as human shields as they made their way to the dormitory. It was eerily quiet, save for the occasional sound of foreign footsteps echoing through the hallways. At the turn of a corner, they were now in a brightly lit corridor with doors lined up on both sides. Above each door was a light that displayed the number each room was assigned.

"The dim ones are free. Hurry up and get your guns before someone finds us!", Elsa encouraged.

IF nodded and entered room number two, shutting the door behind her. She walked in and found a neatly furnished room complete with a bed, desk and shower.

"No food, huh… I guess our 'gracious' host doesn't plan for us to last long.", IF muttered.

She spotted the RanRanGun on the desk and walked over to it cautiously and poked it. After not getting any sort of response, IF deemed it safe enough to take. As she picked it up, she noticed a note underneath it. She picked it up and read through it.

_1- Be careful who you bring into your room!_

_2- Follow the rules!_

_3- Listen to point 2!_

_4- Smile for the camera!_

_5- There aren't any cameras in the rooms, though. I have standards._

_6- Everyone get to your rooms when the bell rings! I've got to get my beauty sleep too, you know!_

_7- Don't even THINK about trying to break the rules!_

IF rolled her eyes as she read through the list. She gave a sigh of relief, now knowing that she at least had a place to lie down. IF gazed at the bed, longing for it's soft, fluffy embrace... She quickly snapped out of it and put the RanRanGun into one of the pouches on her belt.

Because she was partially distracted, IF dropped the note onto the ground. When she bent over to pick it up, she noticed there was some writing on the back of it. However, unlike the list on the other side, this seemed to be scribbled down in a hurry. In… pink.

_DON'T PLAY HER_

_GAME_

_FIND THE_

_TRUTH_

_FOLLOW THE NOISE_

_COMMIT THE_

_INNOCENT SIN_

_-JOKER_

IF's eyes widened. This "Joker", whoever they were, left her some sort of hint. IF held the note to her chest and closed her eyes to pay her respects.

"I won't let this go to waste. Thank you, Joker."

* * *

"Jeez, did you get lost in there, too? I told you to hurry up!", Elsa scoffed.

IF simply shrugged in response as she regrouped with Elsa and Underling in the hallway.

"So, what's the plan? How are we actually gonna fry that hog?", Underling said.

"Please, enough with the pig puns. I abhor them.", Elsa complained.

IF rubbed her forehead, trying to relieve her mind from the absolute horror of puns. She reached into her pocket to pull out the note she found, only to be interrupted by something flashing in her eyes.

"Wha- get down!", IF shouted. She dropped down onto one knee as low as possible.

Elsa and Underling didn't process what was going on until a blast of light hit the ground before them. At the entrance to the dormitory hallway was a girl wearing sunglasses and a multitude of gold jewelry that sparkled viciously, making it hard to see her. She held her gun forward and pulled the trigger once more to take another shot, however nothing happened. After a few clicks, she realized that her gun wasn't going to fire anymore and threw it towards the group.

Out of reflex, Elsa leapt into the air and bicycle kicked the gun back towards the attacker. As Elsa hit the ground, a loud thud could also be heard ahead.

"Don't let her get away!", Elsa shouted.

Underling looked at Elsa then down the hall and repeated this once more before bolting ahead. After taking a moment to get off the ground, IF and Elsa followed her down the hall. When they caught up with Underling, she was scratching her head as she gazed down upon the knocked out attacker.

"The hell do you eat, boss?", Underling coughed out.

"It's not like you'd be able to afford it, anyway.", Elsa shrugged.

IF walked up to the knocked out shooter and crouched down to check on her. She poked the back of her head to see if there was any response, then checked for a pulse like how Compa had showed her. After finding signs of life, IF stood up and faced the other two girls.

"Yeah, she's out cold alright. It was pretty clever of her to try to blind us with that shiny jewelry. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have the aim to back it up.", IF explained.

She looked around at the ground and found the attacker's RanRanGun by the wall next to the girl. IF picked it up and inspected it. She held it up towards the ceiling above Elsa and Underling and pulled the trigger.

Click.

Click.

Nothing. Even with her elementary knowledge of handguns, IF could tell something was off about the gun.

"H-hey! Watch where you're aiming that thing!", Elsa shrieked.

"Guess we're lucky it jammed, am I right?", Underling smirked.

IF continued to inspect the gun and ejected the cartridge. "No… it didn't jam. There was only ever one shot!", IF said surprised.

"I guess that pig wants the best shot to win.", Elsa muttered as she crossed her arms.

"Good thing that broad's aim sucked!", Underling smirked.

"Yeah, we did get lucky. But why didn't DanDan tell us there was only one shot in the first place?", IF wondered out loud.

"Probably to make things more interesting for her audience. She wants to see the look on our faces when we take a shot and then freak out when we find out we can't shoot anymore. Just think about it- unless you don't miss, you're a sitting duck if you waste your shot." Elsa suggested.

"Y-yeah, that would really suck…", Underling chuckled nervously.

IF and Elsa slowly turned their heads towards the green haired thug and stared at her for a very long moment in complete silence. Elsa finally broke the silence. "What did you do?"

"I-I didn't shoot anyone, I swear! Do you really think I wanna play that swine's game?!", the hooded girl stuttered.

"I don't trust her.", Elsa responded as she readied her gun.

"Don't shoot! This is exactly what she wants!", IF shouted as she raised her sleeve in front of Elsa.

"I'm sure this street rat's already used to playing in the dirt. What difference would being a pig be?!", Elsa growled.

"No, not HER! I'm talking about DanDan!", IF barked. She grabbed Elsa's hand and shoved it away so that she wasn't aiming it anymore.

Elsa stepped back and raised her gun towards IF. "And how can you be so sure?".

"I bumped into her not long after we started. She wouldn't have had enough time to make it to the dormitory and back with a RanRanGun, and she was with me the whole time after that.", IF explained.

The young Gust of Wind started to walk around Elsa to stay out of her line of fire. She began to circle the girl slowly, and Elsa's aim followed. Underling looked on with wide eyes as the two girls locked into a close-range showdown of wits.

"How am I supposed to believe that? Do you expect me to take your word for it? You two are obviously teaming up to take me down!", Elsa hissed.

"If we really wanted to turn you into a pig, we would've already done it! You were wide open after kicking this girl's gun back to her.", IF explained, trying to remain calm.

Her heart beat rapidly as the adrenaline truly began to kick in. IF knew that what she was doing was completely insane, but she had no choice but to believe in what she believed to be the absolute truth. All she could do was hope that Elsa would see the reason in her logic.

"Oh, I get it now. You just want to be the one to accuse her so you can get out of here. Do you think I'm gonna just let you take the all the credit for that? I should just shoot you right here myself!", Elsa threatened.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do after that? You only have one shot, and there's two of us! The other one can just accuse you and get it right, guaranteed!", IF grumbled, "If you're so sure that she shot someone, then why don't you just accuse her at the trial!".

IF stopped walking and stared back at Elsa, whose gun was now mere inches from IF's face. Underling's teeth chattered nervously as she did all she could do- watch. The air grew heavy as IF and Elsa gazed into each other's eyes, a passionate bitterness towards each other being silently exchanged. The fragile link was broken when Elsa finally made her move.

Bang.

IF collapsed and took in several deep breathes as she panted heavily, having held her breath in her silent showdown with Elsa. Her ears were ringing thanks to her proximity to Elsa's gun when it fired. At the last moment, the athlete elected to use her only shot on the knocked out jewelry-clad attacker.

A bright light filled the corridor, blinding everyone's sight of the poor, nameless victim. All their senses could pick up were the sounds of harsh squealing. When the light finally died down, the girl was now a small, pale pig. It now began to waddle around as it's clothes and jewelry dragged behind it.

"Y-you… you actually freakin' did it…", Underling stuttered in fear, "But why? You could've just not shot anyone at all!".

IF gave several more coughs for air and watched the pig's futile attempts to go far. The small creature decided that it no longer had a need for clothing, and wiggled it's way free before wandering off into the network of corridors.

"You do realize what this means, right?", the hooded girl muttered.

Elsa dropped her gun and remained silent as she processed what she just did. IF was now having trouble trying to remain calm. It could have been her. It was _almost_ her. She knew she should've felt relieved. But now she had to make the choice of whether or not to accuse Elsa. For as much as she didn't like her, she didn't want to strip her of her humanity.

"W-wait, this doesn't add up…", Underling spoke up. The two other girls raised their heads and glanced at her to see what she was talking about. The hooded girl picked up the gold chains left behind by the pig and held them up. "This stuff's fake!".

"Fake? How do you know?", IF responded.

"The chains that chick was holding up at up glittered like crazy. This stuff's not shiny at all!", Underling explained.

"Let me see that.", Elsa said. She walked over and held her hand out for Underling to pass one to her. After the green haired girl reluctantly handed it over, Elsa appraised the 'gold' chain herself. After a few seconds, she dropped the chain onto the ground and stomped it. The chain shattered easily, breaking into multiple pieces.

"This is just a cheap knockoff!", Elsa hissed.

"This doesn't even make any sense! The chains she was wearing were definitely real! Where the hell did this crap come from?!", Underling said in an annoyed tone.

"You two sound pretty sure about this, so I'll just take your words for it.", IF said. She pushed herself up onto her feet and took another deep breath before turning towards the other two girls. "What do you think this means?"

"Does the blast turn clothes into cheap knockoffs, too?", Elsa suggested.

"Nah, that's too complicated.", IF shrugged.

"More like they were switched out! If there was a way to turn things into cheap jewelry, I'd be rich!" Underling ranted.

"Wait, hold that thought. You might be onto something." IF interrupted.

"Now is NOT the time to discuss scams!", Elsa scoffed.

"No, not that part! I'm talking about-", IF was interrupted by a loud bell ringing throughout a speaker system.

After a few rings, DanDan's voice came from the speakers.

"Heeeeeeello, my pretties! It looks like someone's already been porked! And you all know what thaaaaat meeeeeans! Everyone go back to the main factory! It's time to meat out some Justice! That is, if you guys are worthy enough!", DanDan announced.

"Did she just…? Oh, for crying out loud…", Underling mumbled.

After what appeared to be DanDan reaching off screen, a series of arrows lit up the floor, all pointing in the same direction.

"I have to say- I'm impressed! Usually people try to mingle a little more before trying to stab each other in the back! Look's like we've got quite got quite the vicious herd this time!", DanDan winked, "Go ahead and follow those arrows back if you don't know how to get back to the main facility. And make it snappy! This downtime is no good for my viewers!".

After the announcement ended, Elsa's face grew pale.

"W-what're we gonna do?!" Elsa panicked.

"Since you already fired yours, you're gonna be a prime suspect. You're pretty screwed, boss…", Underling said as she scratched the back of her head.

"Y-you're fired!", Elsa whimpered.

"Woah, seriously? Good grief…", the hooded girl complained.

"Enough already! We need to get back to the main factory. Who knows what will happen if we keep her waiting.", IF huffed.

"B-but what about me?! I can't turn into a pig!", Elsa cried.

"Gee, you really broke down fast. Don't worry, I have a plan.", IF reassured her.

"Whoa, seriously? What did you come up with?", Underling asked.

"Don't worry about it. Just trust me, okay?", IF smiled.

IF walked ahead and followed the arrows back to the main facility. Elsa and Underling looked at each other nervously before following.

* * *

Their footsteps seemed to echo painfully loud as they entered the main factory. IF could feel people stare knives into each other as she arrived at the the area in front of the large monitor. As the brunette slowly walked into place, she saw the look of suspicion and dread painted onto everyone's face. She took a deep breath to make sure she kept her composure. Despite what she told Elsa and Underling, IF wasn't entirely sure about what she had planned.

"Aw, lame! We're the last ones here, aren't we?", Underling spat out.

"W-would you be quiet?!", Elsa said nervously in a hushed tone.

"What? It's not like these broads are gonna actually blame whoever LOOKS the most suspicious, right?", the hooded girl shrugged.

As if on cue, the monitor displayed static noise before flickering to an image. The devilish swine's smug, twisted grin was now on display for everyone's displeasure.

"Aaaaaaaalright! Here we go! The main event! It's time to see who's going on a one-way trip to the slaughterhouse!", DanDan announced.

Elsa was now, subconsciously, biting her fingernails again. Underling's gaze shifted to the walkways above the monitor as she held the back of her head. Everyone began to shift uncomfortably.

"Oh, come on! You all look like you're about to give up! At least TRY to put up a fight!", DanDan grumbled.

Nobody responded.

"Oh, I guess I haven't explained how this works yet. Well, just go ahead and try to figure out who you think shot someone. Then, pick someone to be the 'accuser'! That accuser will have the final say in picking who the suspect is. So choose wisely!", DanDan chuckled, "Don't keep the audience waiting, now!".

After a few moments of people shuffling about, a small group approached IF.

"Y-you were one of the last ones to arrive! That's awfully suspicious!", a pig-tailed girl said.

"It had to have been one of you. Just tell us who it was so we can… can...", a glasses wearing girl spoke up, but couldn't finish her sentence.

"Please! If you did it, just turn yourself in!", the tallest girl said.

"Hey, back off already! I can hear you just fine!", IF barked.

The three girls were startled and exchanged wary glances. Despite not having been here long, they looked absolutely exhausted. IF could tell the utter hopelessness of the situation was weighing heavily on them. Their shoulders dropped and they turned to leave.

"Wait. I'm sorry, I'm just really on edge here.", the brunette called out to them.

"We all are!", the glasses wearing girl sobbed.

The tallest girl began to pat the crying girl on the back to console her. The pig-tailed girl walked back to IF.

"Please… do you have any idea of what happened?", the pig-tailed girl asked.

"I think so. I'm just not entirely sure.", IF responded.

"Oh… well, I hope you can figure it out. Then you'll be able to leave and get us help…!", the pig-tailed girl said cheerfully.

Just for a moment, IF noticed a glimmer of hope light up in her eyes like an oasis in a desert of despair. After this exchange, the three girls left IF alone to bring their pleas for a confession elsewhere. Now alone, IF stood in quiet contemplation before walking up towards the monitor.

"Hey, DanDan. I think I have an idea of who did it.", IF announced.

Everyone's head turned at once to gaze at IF dramatically in a display that was worthy of being put into a painting. A bead of sweat couldn't help but crawl down IF's cheek.

"Hahaha! Orly? Well then, spit it out! As _DRAMATICALLY_ as possible, please!", DanDan snickered.

After a moment of holding back the urge to break the monitor right then and there, IF gulped and made her announcement.

"One of the two girls who I was with must have done it. I saw the victim myself get hit myself!", IF said loudly, so that everyone could hear her.

Upon hearing this, everyone had the two girls in their sights. Elsa bit down on a nail too hard, causing it to bleed. Underling looked around at everyone looking at her with a look of shock on her face.

"What the hell?! I can't believe you'd try to sell us out like that!", Underling lashed out.

People started surrounding the both of them menacingly and the sounds of someone cracking their knuckles could be heard. Thanks to the encouragement of their peers, Elsa and Underling felt compelled to take a walk of shame (or rather, walk of _blame_ ) down the aisle and stopped to stand at the opposite side of the monitor to IF. Both girls glanced at the adventurer with a mix of both shock and betrayal plastered onto their faces.

"Well, would you look at that! Going for a spot in the 'Top 10 Anime Betrayals' list, huh? I like you!", DanDan cheered, "Well, don't keep us waiting! Take your pick!".

At that moment, IF dived deep into her mind. She was suddenly riding on her motorcycle through some sort of digital landscape. As she was riding down the seemingly endless highway, she saw two green signs up ahead, indicating what the next two turns were for. The left one read "Underling", and the right one read "Elsa". As she continued moving at high speed down the highway, another sign indicated that a junction was ahead. After being given a split second to choose, IF made a sharp turn into the left lane and ascended the ramp.

The landscape around her transformed as she soared across the road. The digital road turned gray, and the space around the road turned green. It began to twist and turn, defying gravity itself as IF strode along while avoiding the pitfalls that began to spring up. A single sign appeared above the road that read: "When did you meet Underling?". Further down the road, there were two more signs indicating that there were more turns ahead. The left one read: "Long after the match started" and the right one read: "Soon after the match started".

IF thought back to when she met Underling. She was lost in her own thoughts after DanDan gave the order to begin, then ran into the thuggish girl soon after snapping out of it. After nodding to herself, IF turned to the right.

The road seemed to be moving faster. Or was it was her bike? Regardless, IF traveled down the path after the turn and found the road seemed to contain some more hazards. Nothing she couldn't handle. She evaded them skillfully without much of a fuss. Another sign sprang up down the road. "Did she have any time to attack anyone before meeting her?". There were another two signs further down the road. "Yes" on the left and "No" on the right.

IF took her time to think this through before continuing. According to DanDan, the RanRanGuns were only supposed to be available in the dormitories. She and Underling took a while to look for the dormitories themselves, and it wasn't until they found Elsa that they were even able to get to them. After running through this thought a few times, IF turned right.

At this point, her bike seemed to pick up even more speed, and the road seemed to have even more extreme twists and turns. The unexpected difficulty spike caused IF to run off the road, falling into the infinite green…

When IF woke up, she was somehow riding her bike again. Another pair of signs entered her vision down the road. "Underling" and "Elsa". After cursing under her breath, IF turned left and began to take the same route she had taken initially.

She turned right to answer "No" again to whether or not Underling had the time to attack anyone. IF made sure to carefully avoid any random pitfalls and was more ready to hit the brakes this time. After treading more carefully, IF finally reached the next sign.

"Did Underling ever have the chance to shoot anyone?". IF cleared several gaps consecutively after crossing the sign and then rode up a curve to ride on the "wall". She was confident that Underling was with her the entire time they were together. However, there was the brief period that wasn't accounted for- the time they entered their rooms to get their guns. IF turned left to answer "Yes".

Dodge. Jump. Switch lanes. Repeat. IF was used to the rhythm of the road now. "Who did she shoot?". At this point, the brunette had to take a gamble. The two options were "An Attacker" on the left and "She didn't shoot anyone" on the right. IF elected to trust Underling and turned right.

After falling off the road once more, IF frustratingly made her way all the way back again and rode through the increasingly difficult road puzzles. After avoiding all of the hazards, IF finally reached the next sign. "Did she shoot at all?". IF hit the brakes and drifted down the road slowly. She thought back to when Underling started getting iffy about wasting shots. She wouldn't have been nervous if she hadn't shot her gun at all. If she _did_ hit someone, then DanDan would have called everyone back to the factory for a trial. The two signs ahead now read "She didn't shoot anything" on the left and "She shot something" on the right.

After turning right, the road ahead was clear and unbroken. IF continued to think. If Underling didn't shoot someone, then the only thing left for her to hit would have been an object. Another sign came up on the horizon. "What proves she hit an object?". IF's bike seemed to speed up on its own and she was quickly brought up to the next two signs. To the left, "Something inside her room", and to the right, "The victim".

Even if whatever Underling shot was inside her room, IF had no idea what it was and couldn't prove it. However, upon thinking back to when the victim was shot, it seemed weird that IF was checking the victim's clothing instead of the victim herself. Her curiosity confirmed that she already fired the shot and hit something that wasn't a person.

After a hard right, IF was now on a calm road once more. The road seemed to end up ahead and IF brought her bike to a halt. Suddenly, the green space and gray road beneath her faded into black. A moment later, a large monitor flashed to life in front of IF, displaying a simple message across the screen.

_CONCLUSION:_

_UNDERLING SHOT AN OBJECT_

At the blink of an eye, IF found herself back on an all too familiar road once more. After sighing internally, she turned right to select Elsa's path. The color of the scenery matched the silver and blue of Elsa's school track suit. However, there weren't any signs. The road twisted and turned and IF avoided all of the obstacles as she had done so before, but there weren't any signs. Just a straightforward obstacle course. IF already knew what the truth was.

Upon reaching the end of the road, all of the colors faded to black. The monitor appeared just as before, however all it displayed was static interference. Then suddenly, the all too familiar sound of laughter could be heard as DanDan's face flickered onto the monitor. The images of her laughing flickered back and forth with the message:

_CONCLUSION:_

_ELSA_

_IS_

_GUILTY_

The text was red, and it became more and more distorted with each flicker. DanDan's laughter grew louder and louder, until it eclipsed all other thoughts in IF's mind, causing her to black out.

* * *

IF snapped back into reality. She looked around frantically as if she had just awoken from a long nightmare. However, it seemed as if nary a moment had passed at all. After going through all the twists and turns of her own logic from within her own psyche, IF was now mentally fatigued, but resolute. She knew what she had to do.

The brunette slowly reached into one of her belt pouches and pulled out her RanRanGun. Several gasps could be heard among the small crowd as IF pulled the weapon out and held it sideways, pointing it forward at the space between a terrified Underling and Elsa.

Once more, IF ran through the two conclusions in her head. Elsa was, indeed, guilty. She also gave her a bunch of trouble before by not paying her in full. IF aimed her gun at Elsa. The athletic schoolgirl was biting her nails, bawling her eyes out.

Another thought arose from within IF's mind. Without a doubt, working with Elsa would increase her chances of succeeding. The girl's athletic skill and reasonable logic would certainly be beneficial to her. Subconsciously, IF moved her aim towards Underling.

IF had nothing against Underling. However, the odds just didn't seem to be in her favor. She betrayed IF as soon as Elsa offered her money. Granted, Underling easily returned to IF's side after that. At this moment, IF recalled her conclusion about Underling's actions. She shot _something_ , and that caused her to search the victim's belongings for some reason. This is when IF remembered what Underling said when they tried to figure out why the chain they found wasn't real.

IF took several deep breaths. A final memory flashed into her mind. The final, out of place piece of the puzzle that shouldn't have been there, but was. A stray ray of hope seeping through the cracks in this big box of despair. The brunette stared at the ground and shook her head. What was she thinking?

" _Don't play her game..._

_Find the truth..._

_Follow the noise..._

_Commit the Innocent Sin."_

IF retracted her arm and looked down at her gun, breathing heavily. The answer was right in front of her the whole time. The young girl slowly raised her gun up for the final time as everyone in the room watched in awe. However, this time, her gun was aimed at neither Elsa nor Underling. Not at anyone in the crowd. Not at the monitor RanRan's face was on.

In what would be her final move, IF held the gun against her temple and burned her dread.

The next thing IF knew, she was enveloped in a blinding flash of light and the floor beneath her opened up. A metal claw jolted up and clasped around her waist, administering an electric shock that caused her to wince in pain. The maddening squeals of a pig could be heard rising up from beneath her as she was promptly yanked below ground. She felt something that felt like her own coat swing by as she descended.

IF was now being pulled through some sort of underground tunnel system. She summoned her daggers and cut the claw's arm off. She fell to the ground and skid a few more feet before coming to a halt. After a few grunts, IF pried the claw off of her waist and began to make her way back through the tunnels...

Meanwhile, back at the factory, everyone was in complete shock over what had just happened. Everyone, save for DanDan.

"Whoooooooooa baby! Who could've seen THAT coming! The audience LOVES this! What a twist! Bravo! Bravo, my fellow pig! This will get me a TON of shares!", the devilish pig cheered.

"What the hell are you going on about now?!", Underling lashed out.

"Oh, you didn't know? I set up this whole shebang so I could get shares! Soon I'll have so many shares, I'll be able to overtake that S-Sha girl!", she snickered.

"You mean you set up this whole thing just so you could get more stupid points than some other chick?!", the hooded girl growled.

"They're not POINTS! They're- bah, forget it! You probably won't live long enough to see me claim my spot at the top anyway!", DanDan responded, "Now, I STRONGLY recommend you show me some respect if you don't wanna end up like your little friend right there."

The pig that took IF's place wandered about the room and minded it's own business, going nowhere in particular. The oversized blue coat fell off and all the piggy was left wearing was IF's black shirt and short shorts.

After the display of IF's selflessness, Elsa had fallen onto her knees and was staring at the ground aimlessly in complete disbelief. The pig wearing IF's clothing approached her and sat right in front of her. The girl couldn't help but hug the pig out of guilt, trying to gain some comfort after what she had caused. This is when she noticed the "buckle" on the pig's shorts.

"...This is fake.", she muttered, "It's not metal at all."

"FAKE?! Don't be ridiculous!", DanDan quickly responded, "Come on, let go of the pig already so I can send her to the grill!"

"Go to hell.", Elsa growled.

"Ha! I'm already there! And you're all here with me, sweet cheeks!", DanDan smirked, "Hell, I can smell a grill from here… barbecue! My favorite!"

A blast of fire erupted through the ground, and from beneath the floor arose IF.

"You like barbecue, huh? I hope they have that in HELL, then!", IF yelled.

The chuunibyou ran up to the monitor and unleashed a merciless combo upon it while in mid-air, utterly shredding it into pieces. After IF nailed a 10/10 landing, the monitor fell to the ground and completely fell apart.

"No way! The kid didn't get turned into pork at all!", Underling exclaimed.

"W-what?! But how?!", Elsa shrieked. Shortly after saying this, she realized that the pig she was hugging wasn't _actually_ IF and promptly let go of the pig in disgust.

"The two of you helped me figure it out. Well, that and some luck.", IF smiled.

"You're the craziest kid I've ever met.", Underling sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll tell you all the details later! It's time to pay our 'gracious host' a visit!", IF reaffirmed, "I broke the pig switcher thing's circuit board while I was down there, so it should be safe to leave now. You two take everyone and get out of here!".

"You're going to fight her on your own?!", Elsa said surprised.

"There's no freaking way I'm letting you have all the fun! I wanna pound that swine myself!", Underling grunted.

"We don't have time for this! Elsa, get outside and call for help! Underling, help everyone get out safely!", IF demanded.

Elsa looked back at IF and nodded.

"I… won't forget this." Elsa muttered before running off.

"Agh, dammit! I'm gonna come right back and get my fill, you hear me?!", Underling shouted before turning to the group, "Well don't just stand there! Come on!".

IF was now alone in the main room of the facility. She turned to look at the black "curtain" behind where the monitor once stood. She walked over the debris and slashed at the space, revealing that it was, indeed, merely a curtain. IF raised her phone up and used it as a flashlight as she ran down the dark hallway behind it.

She could see the monitor's wiring running along the floor. After following it down the straight hallway, IF found the room the wiring led to. She put her phone away got her weapons ready before kicking the door down.

"Come on out, DanDan! We both know you can't win anymore!", IF called out.

The dark room suddenly was suddenly lit up as a monitor showed itself.

"Hohoho! Do you really think that's all it would take to get me?! Catch me if you caaaaaaaaaaan!", DanDan taunted. After she said this, more and more monitors flickered to life all over the room, all of them displaying DanDan laughing. "Hahaha! BAHAHAHAAHAAAAAAAAAA!".

As monitors continued to laugh, IF simply walked up to the real DanDan, who was standing out in the open, and punched her in the face.

"What?! How did you-?! Oh, wait…", DanDan responded weakly.

"Don't try anything stupid. Since you had to use all these underhanded tactics, it's obvious you're not the fighting type.", IF said as she held placed her foot on DanDan's chest.

"Haha…ha…", DanDan coughed, "Finish me then! Deliver 'Justice'!".

"I thought really hard about what I was gonna do when I finally got the chance to see you face-to-face.", IF responded, "But in the end, I decided that I won't even humor you with that much. I'm done playing your games."

IF kicked off of DanDan's chest and left her coughing on the ground. When she turned around, she found Underling standing at the doorway. IF began to make her way towards her.

"You're not gonna try to stop me, are you?", Underling asked sternly.

"I don't have the right.", IF said.

"Heh. Thanks... IF.", Underling smiled.

"Wait, hold on... _SHE'S_ IF? Hehehe... Hahaha!", DanDan laughed.

"What's so funny?", IF grumbled as she turned around.

"The seeds of your despair have already been planted! Hahaha... and I didn't even have to do anything!", DanDan cackled.

"...Bring her outside when you're done so they can lock her up.", IF said to Underling before leaving.

"You hear that, broad? I'm gonna turn you black and blue!", Underling grinned as she cracked her knuckles.

DanDan's white half seemed to turn even more pale...

* * *

Upon reaching the outside of the factory, IF found that rescue crews from Lastation and Planeptune had arrived at the scene and were tending to all of the captives. Guild members were being dispatched into the facility to search for even more captives held inside. Several paramedics approached IF and brought her to a helicopter to be escorted out of the scene. From within the helicopter, she looked back as the chopper moved further and further away from the facility...

After swiftly arriving in Planeptune, IF wandered through the streets aimlessly. The sun broke through the night sky and illuminated the horizon. The sleeping streets slowly came to life as people began their morning commutes. Amidst the growing crowds, IF found her bike, just as she had left it. She waddled over and slumped onto it, dozing off right then and there for just a moment...

**CHAPTER 4… RanRanRonpa... END.**


	5. The Ultimate Combo, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While IF was kidnapped, Nisa was doing her own personal errand: locating Lid after their previous encounter with K-Sha.

_Central Planeptune City, during IF's capture…_

A well rested Nisa energetically moved through the streets, helping grannies cross the street safely and helping unwilling kittens take a quick shower. She did this all with a sense of urgency, not forgetting what her task for the day was. Unbeknownst to IF, Nisa intended to verify whether Lid was safe or not. She made a call the night before to some friends who might be able to help her. She was now on her way to meet up with them to see what they could find out.

At the turn of a corner, Nisa found the meeting spot- a ramen noodle shop. Luckily, it was late enough for it to be brunch. As she pushed the door to go in, a bell jingled and she was given a hearty welcome by all of the staff behind the counter. If only the one person she was supposed to meet here wasn't too busy slurping up her bowl. Nisa walked over to take a seat at the counter next to her contact and tapped her on the shoulder.

"I see you're still maintaining a healthy diet, Cybercon!", Nisa smiled.

"Moh! Mnisa! Mgoou to mee gou!", CyberConnect2 grumbled with her mouth full. She bit down onto the noodles to separate them from the bowl and slurped them up. The energetic blonde set her chopsticks down beside the growing pile of empty bowls next to her and spun around in her seat to face Nisa. "Oh, sorry about that. Gotta get my energy going for the day, you know?", she grinned.

"Indeed!", Nisa nodded. She glanced around the restaurant briefly before returning her attention to CC2. "I see B-Sha isn't here yet."

"Nah, she was the first one to get here. She seemed pretty enthusiastic about this and went on ahead- not that I'm complaining!", CC2 responded before taking another slurp from her umpteenth bowl.

"Well let's not keep her waiting, then! Let's go find her!", Nisa said. She clapped her hands onto the counter as she said this, causing one of the waitresses to come over and pour her a cup of tea. "Oh hey, thanks!", she smiled as she took a sip.

"Heeeeey, slow down! If she's following a trail, we'll have no idea where she ended up! Just leave it to her and that robot thing of hers and relax until she gives us a call!", CC2 reassured Nisa.

"Fair point. I can't help but think that you're really just making excuses, though...", Nisa crossed her arms.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of CC2's cellphone ringing. She tried to slurp up the noodles she was currently eating, hurrying up as the phone's ringing compelled her to pick up the pace. After several painfully long seconds, she finally picked up.

"Mhm! Bhe-gah! Bgisa's-", CC2 muttered with her mouth full.

"I'll take that. Hello?", Nisa declared as she snatched the phone away.

"Nisa? Oh good, you're together! I was able to find a trail of debris that must have come from that giant robot you mentioned. Meet me at the Digital Dungeon Pass!", B-Sha's voice buzzed through the phone.

Due to the phone's loud volume, CC2 could hear everything B-Sha said. Nisa and CC2 nodded at each other and lept off of their seats. They quickly ran outside, however the blonde returned to leave some credits on the counter to pay for her meal before bolting off once more.

* * *

When the pair arrived at the dungeon entrance, B-Sha had her back turned towards them as she looked up the digital ramp. Upon hearing their footsteps, she turned around and smiled at them.

"If I knew you guys could move this fast, I would have waited for you at the noodle shop!", B-Sha greeted.

"A hero must also rush to their destination when someone's life is at stake!", Nisa announced proudly, "But you already knew that, didn't you?".

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! You're the only hero around here! Hahaha…", B-Sha chuckled nervously.

"Even I can see through that...", CC2 smiled awkwardly, "Anyway, this is the place, right? Come on, I'm already itching to go! Fighting a giant robot sounds like it's going to be awesome!".

"Don't you think I am too?! I was considering going in without you two! Bandam and I would so be able to take that thing on!", B-Sha replied with sparkling eyes.

"I am glad you two are so enthused to SAVE MY FRIEND!", Nisa spoke up.

CC2 scratched the back of her head with a grin on her face. "Hey, I didn't forget about that! we'll bring your friend back, no matter what!", she responded.

"And since your friend's not a kid, this is gonna cost you. How does 50,000 credits sound?", B-Sha said.

"Ah, what a shame. Perhaps I should enlist the help of _Presto Mask_ instead...", Nisa said as she crossed her arms.

"N-no need for that! I'm sure Presto Mask is very busy right now!", B-Sha replied frantically.

"Good! Let's get moving, then!", Nisa declared as she ran ahead to the ramp. B-Sha followed closely behind her and CC2 stood still for a moment.

"Come on, she doesn't really think she's fooling anyone, does she?", CC2 muttered to herself. She looked around and realized that the other two had already gone ahead. "Hey! Wait up! I'm the expert when it comes to this place, you know!", she shouted before running in after them.

* * *

As the Triple A Trio jogged through the dungeon, the digital landscape danced with life in a colorful display that probably should have required a seizure warning at the entrance. They navigated through the dungeon in search for some sort of clue as to where K-Sha's robot might have gone. Unfortunately for them, some digital monsters made their residence here, and decided to show the uninvited girls out the door.

"I was wondering when these guys would show up! This will be a piece of cake!", CC2 grinned as she summoned her daggers.

"Make sure you don't get in my way this time. Don't blame me if you get hit again!", B-Sha spoke up as she brought out her bazooka, "Stand back, Nisa! We've got this!"

"Hm… very well then! Show me how much your hearts have grown!", Nisa said with a nod. She crossed her arms and created some distance between herself and the pair of blondes.

Some Pixelvaders and Tokimeki Sisters. Nothing too complicated. CC2 predictably dashed ahead and quickly dispatched of one before leaping up into the air, allowing B-Sha to shoot one that was underneath CC2. After the explosion, CC2 dashed through the air towards another foe and unleashed a devastating combo upon it before kicking off of it. She landed behind the group of enemies and they all turned around to gang up on her.

"Now!", the nimble thief shouted.

Her call was answered by a barrage of bazooka shells exploding amidst the group of monsters. When the dust cleared, B-Sha was counting the credits the monsters left behind.

"Thank you for your patronage!", B-Sha smiled as she put the credits away with dollar signs in her eyes.

"That was a pretty good warmup! I'm REALLY fired up now!", CC2 grinned.

"Yes, an admirable display indeed! Your teamwork was admirable! ...Though B-Sha seems to have done more there.", Nisa smiled awkwardly.

"Aw, whaaat? No way! Guess I'll have to go all out on this giant robot thing so you can see what I'm really made of!", CC2 replied as scratched the back of her head.

If she hadn't been scratching her head, CC2 would have been knocked out then and there by the energy blast that intended to get a headshot. The impact of the blast caused CC2 to jerk forward and stumble away from where she was standing. Nisa and B-Sha looked up towards where the shot came from.

Atop the higher platform stood a taller woman with brown hair wearing a blue and white outfit (that struggled to contain her big… heart) complete with a matching beret, stockings and boots. She had one of her arms pointing down at them with a blaster attached to it.

"Why settle for a giant robot? I'd be happy to give you a fight!", the busty woman announced to the smaller girls beneath her.

"C-Sha? What are you doing here?!", B-Sha called out.

"Oh hey, some more viruses. Sorry, but I can't let you through here.", C-Sha replied. She disappeared into a beam of light then reappeared with another one in a crouching position. As she raised her head to look at the group, a silver ring glowed within her eyes.

"C...C-Sha?", B-Sha muttered.

"Something's wrong with her! Get ready to fight!", Nisa shouted.

CC2 ran up between her group and C-Sha. "Viruses? Don't you even recognize your own friends? How could you just talk about killing your own friends so easily?!", she spoke up.

"Friends? I'm not friends with any viruses. Come on now, at least give me a good fight so I can finish today's hunt!", C-Sha replied.

"Fine then. I'll just beat some sense into you!", CC2 shouted back.

"We'll back you up!", B-Sha exclaimed.

"No, this is my fight! I'll bring your friend back, no matter what!", CC2 shouted back.

"Do not do anything reckless, Cybercon!", Nisa butted in, "She's not seeing straight! She won't hold back at all!"

"Ha! Don't worry about me, I can han- uwah?!", before CC2 could finish her sentence, C-Sha ran up and kicked her in the chest.

C-Sha followed her attack with a swift jab to CC2's face and then proceeded to perform a roundhouse kick towards her head. The nimbler fighter was able to raise her daggers up and block this attack, pushing C-Sha's leg away. CC2 backflipped away from the blue brawler to try to create a gap between the two. Her backflips were answered with a flurry of energy shots trying to catch up to her. She would able to dodge them so long as she continued to hop and flip away, but she could only do so for so long.

CC2 finally leaped straight up into the air and suddenly dashed through the air at high speed towards C-Sha. The taller woman was able to block the initial strike, but wasn't able to keep her arms up as CC2 proceeded to slash and kick her several times while still in mid air. Just as the thief thought she had gained the upper hand, the blue brawler managed to block one of CC2's kicks and then proceeded to spin around perform an uppercut into her jaw. She followed through with the attack by continuing to rise upward into the air, then skipped away backwards after landing back on the ground.

CC2 hit the ground and quickly kicked her way back up. She looked around for C-Sha who seemed to have disappeared somehow.

"Where'd she go?!", CC2 shouted.

"I couldn't see… It's like she just vanished!", Nisa replied.

"Wait a minute, I know this trick… Cybercon! Watch your back!", B-Sha cried out.

Suddenly, a thin beam of light hit the ground behind CC2. C-Sha appeared in the spot where the light hit and had her blaster pointing directly at CC2's back. The barrel of her blaster shined brightly as a tell-tale sign that it was charged with energy. She unleashed the charged shot into CC2's back at point blank range, giving the poor girl no chance to dodge at all.

CC2 was blasted forward and fell limp against the round, out cold. C-Sha smiled to herself in satisfaction and stood up straight. Nisa would have bolted forward to enter the fight, but B-Sha held her hand in front of her to stop her.

"Wait.", B-Sha said plainly. She pointed towards CC2's body, which promptly poofed into a log.

"Well, that was certainly something. She sure made good target practice! I think I'll go for some lunch now…", C-Sha said to herself. She closed her eyes and envisioned her meal, only to quickly open them upon hearing a scream she didn't think she would hear.

"Two can play that game!", CC2 yelled. She suddenly poofed behind C-Sha and dashed forward with both of her daggers ready to strike. C-Sha was able to block the attack, but the sheer force of the thief's attack broke through her guard and caused her to flinch. CC2's attack led her up into the air, after which she rapidly slashed downwards and hit C-Sha a second time.

After CC2 landed, C-Sha seized the brief opening and grabbed the smaller girl, bringing her up into the air and slamming her down with a suplex attack. Her bounciness added insult to injury. After the attack, C-Sha kicked herself up from the ground. She coughed and as she looked up, she saw B-Sha and Nisa rapidly approaching her. C-Sha repositioned herself and got ready to deal with them.

Nisa dashed in first and unleashed a devastating combo upon C-Sha which would promptly sent any other victim into next week. Unfortunately for the heroine, the bigger woman was able to keep up with her and block her attacks. Not just some of her attacks, but _all_ of her attacks. C-Sha answered Nisa's attack by spin kicking her three times while in mid-air, knocking her away from herself.

A blast went off behind C-Sha and she turned around to see B-Sha had begun to open fire on her. She began to shoot back against the tiny blonde with her own mega blaster as she ran to avoid fire. B-Sha also ran as she continued to open fire, causing the two Sha's to run around in a counterclockwise circle. They continued to shoot at each other until C-Sha suddenly began to run towards B-Sha. This gave B-Sha an easy shot she didn't intend on missing. She expertly took aim as she did countless times before, and unleashed a powerful shot towards C-Sha. However, at the last second, C-Sha seemed to suddenly step forward and vanish, appearing right in front of B-Sha with a digital sword emanating from her blaster. She swiped her cyber sword before B-Sha could react, sending the girl reeling backwards.

C-Sha now stood between the defeated cirque du flat and knocked some dust off of herself. Before she could do anything else, her stomach grumbled. "Guess you viruses get to live another day. Don't go trying to get through or anything while I'm eating, or I'll really have to delete you!", C-Sha smiled. The silver ring in her eyes shone again before C-Sha vanished into a beam of light, leaving the bested trio alone.

CC2 was able to weakly reach into her pocket and take out a button with an "eject" arrow on it and pushed it. With a flash of light, the three of them were teleported out of the dungeon and back to the entrance. After some muffled groans, they were able to stand up and eat some of their recovery items before they were able to stand back up.

"I think we're gonna need some more help to help this friend of your's, Nisa.", CC2 said.

"Not only her! C-Sha's under control or something now!", B-Sha spoke up.

"Yes, I could sense a suspicious aura emanating from her. We'll have to free her from whatever is controlling her! Let's go back to Planeptune! My pup- _partner_ will be able to give us the edge we need!", Nisa responded.

"Wait, partner? You have another partner?", B-Sha asked.

"It doesn't happen to be that Presto Mask girl, right?", CC2 said jokingly, a smug grin plastered across her face.

"Psh, I-I'm sure Presto Mask is _way_ too busy helping children to help us!", B-Sha said with an alarmed tone.

"Yes… anyway. Her name is IF and she's very promising! She still has a thing or two to learn about Love and Justice, though!", Nisa said as she struck a pose.

"I just hope this doesn't end up like your last partner…", B-Sha said in a more serious tone.

"...She won't.", Nisa said as she closed her eyes. With that, Nisa began her walk back to Planeptune.

"I feel like I'm missing something here. What happened to Nisa's last partner?", CC2 asked B-Sha.

"Lets just she's… not around anymore. Anyway, this isn't the time for this. Come on, let's catch up to Nisa.", B-Sha responded urgently. She ran off ahead to catch up to Nisa.

CC2 thought for a second as she scratched the back of her ear. "That must be really tough… I can't let that happen to Nisa again! I'll make sure we'll all get home safe from this!", CC2 said to herself. She expected some sort of response from one of her companions, only now realizing they had gone ahead.

"Huh?! Oh, come on!", CC2 shouted as she ran off to catch up to them.

* * *

_Athletic Enterprises HQ, Leanbox, After IF's capture…_

A distinctive silver and blue helicopter landed on the tarmac next to a huge corporate building. As the large propellers slowed down, Elsa jumped out and began to walk towards the building. The gust generated by the propellers caused her track suit jacket to flow wildly as she walked away.

"Ms. Elsa! The helicopter hasn't stopped yet!", one bodyguard called from within the chopper.

The girl ignored the warning and fixed her jacket as she entered the building. She walked through the lobby with a displeased look on her face and walked past the reception desk, where the receptionist nervously picked up the phone on her desk.

"S-sir, your daughter is here. She doesn't seem to be in a good mood.", the receptionist said.

"Ah, good. I've been meaning to speak with her. Send her right u-", Elsa's father answered before being interrupted by the door to his office flinging open. He immediately dropped the phone back down onto the receiver.

"Honey! I've been meaning to speak to you!", he said as he walked in front of his desk to greet Elsa.

"Don't you try to sugarcoat me! I was kidnapped for a whole day and you didn't even send anyone to look for me at all!", Elsa shouted.

"You know I always wait for your kidnappers to contact me first before I send out the search party.", he responded as she leaned on his desk with his arms crossed.

"There wasn't going to be a ransom, daddy! Some crazy psychopathic PIG was going to try to turn ME into a pig so she could cook me!", she growled, "I can't believe you're so calm about this! I could've really died this time!". She clenched her fists and glared at him.

"Elsa, I am calm because I trust in your ability to handle yourself. I didn't sign you up for all of those sports clubs for nothing! I'm sure your athletic abilities helped you escape, did it not?", Elsa's father answered sternly.

"They… did. I'm sorry, daddy…", Elsa muttered embarrassedly. She unclenched her fists and stared at her feet as she stood up straight.

"Oh, do not worry, pumpkin! What matters is that you're safe!", he smiled at her, "And you couldn't have come at a better time! Come, let me show you something!". He pushed himself off of his desk and walked over a bookshelf. He pulled a few books out and re-arranged them, causing the entire bookshelf to move into the wall and open up sideways, revealing a secret room. Unsurprised, Elsa followed her father through the bookshelf.

Behind the bookshelf was a small closet with several drawers and sports jerseys on display encased in glass cases, all belonging to Elsa's father. Elsa groaned internally, knowing full well what came next.

"Did I ever told you the story of how I founded this company?", he said as he admired his memorabilia.

"About how you wanted to be a Football champion but someone else beat you, so you turned decided to start a business instead?", Elsa muttered.

"Ah, good. Well, it's time to tell you the other half of the story.", he said as he turned around to face her.

Elsa crossed her arms and tilted her head as she looked back at her father.

"After I lost the championship, I vowed that I would never be bested by another man again. So, I decided to sell merchandise instead! Eventually, I made enough money to buy the very team that defeated me. Now the man who put me to shame worked for me!", he smirked, "And I didn't stop there! I moved on to other sports… and bought those out too! I was able to grow a monopoly off of the merchandise and sports equipment! Ah, those were the days! When you own everything, everyone bows down to you!".

"Daddy, why are you telling me all this now?", Elsa interrupted.

Elsa's father put his arm around her and walked her up to his encased football jersey. "Times are changing. Sports aren't as popular as they used to be! Youngsters only want to stay home and play video-games now! That is why we're starting a video-game division of our company.", he said.

He opened one of the glass cases and took out a pair of white wristbands that had a silver trim along with red and blue stripes on them and held them out towards Elsa. "You're going to be the face of this company one day, Elsa. That is why you're going to lead this new division!", he said proudly.

Elsa looked down at the headbands, then back up at her father. "You want _me_ to do it? I… what would I even be doing?", she asked.

"Your job would be to join the Guild and represent our company as you gain shares. The company will then use your popularity to sell merchandise! Who wouldn't want to buy merchandise of such an outstanding guild member? Our profits will skyrocket!", he said with a hearty laugh.

Elsa hesitantly took the wristbands her father gave her. "I… understand, Daddy.", she muttered.

"Now, go on then! Make me proud!", he smiled. Elsa nodded and put on the wristbands before leaving the closet and made her way out of the office. Elsa's father was now all alone in his little shrine. He turned around once more to admire his collection a little longer until his cellphone rang.

"Hello? ...Yes, I know. She just left. Well done on the test. I trust you also held up your end of the bargain? ...No matter. I'll send someone to bail you out now.", Elsa's father closed his phone and took one last look at his collection before walking outside the hidden room. The bookshelf slowly closed itself to normal, leaving the memories of his past glory shrouded in darkness.

**CHAPTER 5… The Ultimate Combo, Part 1... END.**


	6. The Ultimate Combo, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their separate ordeals, IF and Nisa finally regroup. Together with B-Sha and CC2, they return to the dungeon for Round 2 with C-Sha. The clock is ticking to save Lid, and time seems to be running out...

Warm and cozy. That's how IF felt as she bathed in the warmth of the sun around her. Her only regret was that she couldn't get into her bed before going to sleep. She could just barely hear the noises of life around her in her sleep. She felt the warmth envelop her, and could smell the distinctive odor of gas as two people talked nearby.

The voices were muffled, but close enough to get IF to begin to drift out of her sleep. She tried to rub her eyes, but her arms wouldn't move. IF tried to pull them up, but realized that she was stuck in something hot and sticky. She opened her eyes and realized she couldn't see anything around her. The young brunette realized that the warmth she was feeling was coming from underneath her and started to wiggle around in place, hoping it would get her free.

The voices started getting louder. IF was able to finally recognize one of them- the cute and distinctive voice of her friend Compa. She sounded like she was upset for some reason. Suddenly, IF heard the other voice, which sounded much closer than Compa's.

"Is it ready? I'm STARVING!", the voice said.

Suddenly, the ceiling above IF rose into the air and light flashed into her face. She could see a flying saucer being lifted into the air, held by some sort of long object. After processing what she was looking at, IF understood what was going on. What she saw was no "flying saucer"- it was the lid of a cooking pan, and _she_ was in the pan. When she looked down, she saw that the warm and sticky stuff that she was stuck in was… pudding. Compa's pudding. A cup of Compa's pudding, sitting in a pan with several other cups being cooked.

"No, wait! It's not ready yet!", Compa's voice called out to the other person.

"Aw, come on! Just _one_ bite!", the other voice said.

A hand reached down and picked up the cup IF was in. As IF was lifted into the air, she stared in shock at who was looking back at her.

"I can't WAIT to see what you taste like!", the devilish DanDan grinned. Her evil smile grew wider as her mouth opened up, bringing the pudding cup closer into it.

"W-waaaaah! C-Compa, help! I'm inside the pudding!", IF cried out, trying to wiggle out frantically.

Compa walked towards RanRan and looked down at the cup of pudding.

"Well… if you burn your tongue, I guess it would be a chance for me to test out my new syringe!", Compa smiled.

IF could do nothing but scream as her cries for help fell on death ears. With each passing second, she was brought closer and closer towards DanDan's vicious maw.

"No…. NOOOOOOOO!", IF cried out as she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable.

* * *

"IF…!"

"Wake up, IF!"

"HEY!"

IF was jolted awake when she felt a string on her cheek. The first thing she saw was Nisa looking back at her.

"What the hell did you do that for?!", IF complained as she wiped her cheek.

"You were moaning in your sleep and wouldn't wake up. I must have saved you from quite the nightmare!", Nisa responded, "I'm surprised I found you passed out on your bike like this. I hope you weren't out partying instead of training!".

IF stood up straight and wiped some sweat off of her forehead. She looked around and got a good look of where she was. All she could do was sigh in relief that she wasn't actually going to be eaten alive.

"Listen, I really wanted to train yesterday and all, but I found this weird stuffed pig and the next thing I knew, I was out cold. I woke up in this abandoned factory and some crazy pig chick made us play this stupid game where we had to turn each other into pigs!", IF explained.

"That sounds pretty bizarre. Are you sure you didn't just dream the whole thing up?", Nisa asked.

"Hell no. I even ran into that rich kid, Elsa, there too. I'm sure you could ask her about it if we ever run into her again.", IF said as she crossed her arms.

"You can tell me more about it later. Right now, I need your help on a super high priority mission!", Nisa smiled as she pointed towards IF.

"Now you're talkin' my language!", IF smiled eagerly, "What have you got for us this time? Exploring a forbidden temple? Sealing a gateway to hell? Oh, I know! We have to convince a phantom not to-"

"We're going to rescue Lid!", Nisa interrupted, "We already have an idea of where she is, too. We tried to get there yesterday, but we ran into a problem.".

"Wait, who's 'we'?", IF asked.

"I enlisted the aid of two friends of mine to help! They're waiting at the noodle shop right now.", Nisa said as she pointed behind her.

"I see. Anyway, what makes you think she needs to be rescued? She looked pretty confident when she said she would be able to get away.", IF crossed her arms.

"Come on IF, you don't really think she could outrun a giant robot like that, do you? Besides, we ran into someone guarding the area. That HAS to be bad news!", Nisa explained.

"If you say so... Okay then, let's go meet these friends of yours so we can get going.", IF answered.

* * *

As the duo entered the noodle shop, the bells above the door jingled and they were given a hearty "Welcome!" by the staff. One of the waitresses came to ask them where they wanted to be seated and Nisa pointed over to B-Sha and CC2's table. The waitress graciously led them over to their contacts and bowed before leaving to help another table.

"Oh, ith thish Ah-Efffff? Vith go meet nou!", CC2 greeted with her mouth full.

"Don't mind CC2 over here. It's hard for her to control herself around ramen.", B-Sha shrugged, "My name's B-Sha. Nice to meet you!".

"The name's IF! I'm a Gust of Wind who flows through Gamindustri!", IF said proudly.

Nisa quickly took a seat next to B-Sha, leaving IF to have to take a seat next to CC2 and her pile of bowls. She made sure to keep her distance to avoid having the broth from CC2's ramen splash onto jacket. CC2 slurped up some noodles and swallowed them before turning to IF.

"Sorry about that. Gotta keep my energy up, you know? So IF, what do you do?", CC2 asked with a friendly grin.

"What do I do? Well, I'm a pretty average member of the Guild…", IF started to talk.

"No, not that. I mean how you fight! B-Sha here uses a bazooka and a robot, while I prefer to get up close and personal with my daggers!", the blonde thief elaborated.

"Hey, I use daggers too!", IF smiled.

CC2 eyed up the brunette for a moment. "Daggers? With _those_ sleeves? Nisa, did you really let her fight like that?", she asked.

"Er, well! She seemed to know what she was doing, so I didn't say anything…", Nisa smiled awkwardly.

"Do you know any better weapons I could use, CC2?", IF asked.

"Yeah! You're gonna need something a bit longer if you don't want your sleeves to make things hard for you. Let's stop by a shop later so we can find you something better!", CC2 said with a hearty grin.

"Enough about that! Let's talk about how we're going to bring C-Sha back! Oh, and your other friend too, Nisa.", B-Sha butted in.

"C-Sha?", IF repeated.

"Oh, let me explain. That 'problem' we ran into was B-Sha's friend, C-Sha. She took out all three of us and we had to retreat… strategically, of course!", Nisa explained.

"Wait a minute. If you're friends, then why did she beat you up?", IF asked.

"That's what I wanna know! She called us viruses or something and then attacked us! Something's totally wrong with her!", B-Sha blurted out, standing up from her seat and slamming her hands onto the table.

Other customers glanced towards them and a waitress came over to serve them tea.

"I-Is something the matter?", the waitress asked.

"Oh, sorry about that…", B-Sha said as she sunk back into her seat.

The waitress smiled and bowed before walking away from the table. CC2 resumed her slurping and IF leaned forward onto the table, facing B-Sha.

"Viruses? What a weird choice of words.", the brunette muttered.

"I felt a strange aura emanating from her. Perhaps she is possessed!", Nisa responded.

"Hey, if that's the case, maybe we can break the spell somehow. Maybe a magic word or a memory or something. Hey B-Sha, do you know anything that would fit something like that?", IF said.

"Huh? I don't follow.", the tiny blonde responded.

"You know, like something really important to C-Sha that would make her come to her senses!", IF said enthusiastically.

"Now that you mention it… C-Sha LOVES food. Especially meat. Hey, do you think bringing her some of the meat they serve here would work?", B-Sha asked.

"It's worth a shot!", CC2 said as she finished another bowl.

"Don't get too excited CyberCon, this stuff won't be for you.", Nisa butted in.

"Aw… Oh well, I'm full anyway!", CC2 shrugged.

"We'll go ahead and order the meat. Why don't you and IF go ahead and get her some new weapons in the mean time?", Nisa suggested.

"Oh hey, that's a great idea! Come on, IF!", CC2 smiled.

"Ow! Quit shoving!", IF complained.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?! You still have to pay for these!", B-Sha called out to IF and CC2 as they made their way outside the noodle shop.

CC2 looked back just before she was about to go through the front door.

"You've got a lot of cash, right? Thanks, B-Sha!".

* * *

After running a few blocks away from the noodle shop, CC2 and IF started to make their way towards the weapon shop. At this point, having a conversation was inevitable.

"So how long have you known Nisa?", CC2 asked.

"It hasn't even been a week yet…", IF sighed.

"Whoa, seriously? She talked about you as if you knew each other for ages!", CC2 said surprised.

"She does seem like the type to overdo everything.", IF shrugged.

"That much energy's great, though! It makes her pretty reliable.", CC2 said as she stretched out her arms.

"What about you and B-Sha?", IF asked, "It's hard to imagine how a thief and a girl with a bazooka could work together.".

"It works out pretty well, actually! We've completed tons of missions with each other! We're so in sync, we could probably read each other's minds! Well, maybe just her. I'm not too good with complicated stuff like that. I am better when it comes to getting up close and personal, though!", CC2 answered.

"I think I can relate. Nisa and I were able to back each other up pretty well in our previous mission.", IF smiled.

"That's great! You can do some pretty awesome stuff if you and your partner's bond is strong enough. You can trust each other to do pretty crazy stuff, you know?", CC2 added.

The two girls were now across the street from the shop. However, there was a crowd of people protesting in front of it.

"Give us the weapons!", one man shouted.

"Yeah, you can't tell us what we can't buy!", a teenager called out.

"That guy's wrong, but I agree!", one woman yelled.

A Basilicom official standing in front of the store stepped up towards the crowd.

"For the time being, only people registered for the guild will be able to purchase weapons! On behalf of Lady Purple Heart, I thank you for your understanding and cooperation!", the official said through a megaphone.

"Lady Purple Heart?! Give me a break!", a protester complained.

The guards urged the crowd to disperse and reassured them that they would be able to buy whatever weapons they wanted in due time. IF sighed at the sight and waited for the area to be clear before crossing the street.

"Hey, don't worry! The Grand Prix will get people believe in the Goddesses again! Just like it always does!", CC2 said as she gave the brunette a reassuring smile.

"I hope you're right.", IF responded.

They crossed the street and entered the shop, heading straight to the clerk. Luckily for them, the commotion outside made it less busy than usual.

"Welcome! How may I help you?", the clerk greeted.

"We're here to get her some new weapons. She uses daggers right now, but we need something a little big longer so her sleeves don't get in the way. Do you have any sort of daggers with a longer grip to them or something?", CC2 explained.

"Longer, huh? I think I have just the thing!", the clerk said with a nod. He retreated into the room behind the counter for a few minutes and returned with a dusty box. He placed it onto the counter in front of the two girls and opened it up, revealing a pair of katars to them.

"Some busty ninja girl left these here a while ago. She hasn't come back for them in a long time, so I guess you could have 'em.", the clerk said.

"Whoa, seriously? Well, if you insist! Try 'em out, IF!", CC2 responded.

After questioning the clerk's business practices in her head, IF picked up the weapons and backed away from the counter before giving them a few swings.

"Yeah… I can get used to this. Everything feels so natural. These weapons flow gently through the air with every movement!", IF said enthusiastically, "I'll take 'em!".

"Really? I'll give it to you cheap, since I've been trying to get rid of them for a while.", the clerk yawned.

"Awesome! Looks like today's our lucky day!", CC2 smiled.

"I hope you didn't just jinx it.", IF smirked.

* * *

After leaving the store, IF called Nisa to let them know they were ready. The group agreed to meet up at the edge of Planeptune City before heading off to the Digital Dungeon Pass once more. IF grumbled along the way about not being able to bring her bike. When they arrived at the entrance, they went over their strategy.

"C-Sha's as strong as a mech at melee range, and apparently long range now, too.", B-Sha explained, "Oh, and she can teleport while in there, too. Watch out for when she beams away so she doesn't surprise you.".

"Let's not make this longer than we have to. All we have to do is show her the meat we bought and she'll snap out of it!", IF butted in.

"Shouldn't we have a backup plan just in case that doesn't work?", B-Sha replied.

"B-Sha is right. We can't just rely on IF's plan. If it doesn't work, then we're going to have to knock C-Sha out and ask questions later.", Nisa said with her arms crossed.

"What's wrong with my plan?", IF sighed.

"We can't put all our eggs in one basket, you know?", CC2 reassured the brunette.

"Good point.", IF shrugged, "Wait. You told me that you had trouble with her last time. What makes you think you stand a chance now?".

"We have you, of course!", Nisa nodded.

"Yeah, you're obviously the most level-headed person here! That's bound to give us an edge!", B-Sha added.

"I mean, there's no way we would be weaker with another head in the party!", CC2 grinned.

"Geez, way to pile the pressure onto me guys...", IF replied with an embarrassed smile.

"We're gonna need everyone to do their part if we wanna win. We're not _only_ fighting C-Sha here. We're gonna probably get to fight that giant robot after that!", B-Sha nodded.

"Oh yeah! That's gonna be awesome!", CC2 said.

"One step at a time, ladies.", Nisa smirked, "Don't forget the plan."

* * *

Nisa and CC2 had their goggles over their eyes as they ran through the epileptic nightmare of a dungeon. IF and B-Sha were several paces behind, trying to cover their eyes as they kept up. The goggle girls up front cut down any enemies in their path as they approached their destination, stopping just short of the ledge where they encountered C-Sha last time. B-Sha and IF caught up to them shortly.

"This is where you ran into her, right? What makes you think she's still here?", IF asked.

"She didn't want us crossing this point at all. I believe she will be return to this spot to defend it!", Nisa replied.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!", CC2 butted in. She ran up and was nearly blasted at her feet. When she looked up, C-Sha was standing up on the ledge, blaster at the ready.

"Back for more, huh? Don't say I didn't warn you.", C-Sha called out to them. She vanished into a beam and promptly reappeared in front of the group. CC2's allies moved up next to her to face the busty fighter.

"Let's see here… some sort of wolf-fox, a penguin, a yellow ball thing and… what is that supposed to be? A gust of wind carrying a leaf?", C-Sha muttered to herself, "Oh well, who cares. Monsters are monsters. I needed to relieve some stress, anyways.".

"Looks like she's still not still not seeing straight.", B-Sha sighed.

"B-Sha! Show her the meat!", Nisa said.

As B-Sha reached for the package, C-Sha dashed right for her. IF intervened and blocked C-Sha's strike, only to be caught off guard when the street fighter rapidly followed up her attack by leaping into the air and kicking IF right in the forehead. IF fell backwards and saw stars along with what she swore were the letters "K" and "O".

B-Sha stumbled backwards to get away from C-Sha and IF's scuffle. Nisa and CC2 attacked C-Sha from her sides at the same time, leaving the brawler no choice but to use both of her arms to block their attacks. B-Sha used this opening to blast C-Sha directly. Nisa and CC2 jumped backwards just in time to evade the blast. C-Sha wasn't so lucky.

C-Sha spun around several times as she flew backwards. After hitting the ground, she quickly pushed herself up and vanished into a beam once more. IF pulled out a healing pod from one of her pouches and used it before getting back onto her feet. She looked around with her katars at the ready. She noticed a brief, distinctive blue flash appear behind CC2.

"CyberCon! Behind you!", IF called out.

The thief instinctively turned around and blocked, catching C-Sha's attack before it landed. IF saw C-Sha position herself to kick again and called out once more.

"Watch out for her leg!", IF warned.

CC2 flipped backwards, out of the way of C-Sha's kick and used the brief opening to slash at her opponent. She was able to hit her, but not without taking a hit herself. Both fighters skipped backwards away from each other. C-Sha looked at CC2, then squinted to look further behind her for IF. When CC2 realized where she was looking, she desperately tried to reach C-Sha before the could beam away again. She only managed to cover half the distance before C-Sha vanished once more.

IF saw the blue flash but couldn't react in time to block C-Sha's attack. The tall woman attacked quickly and relentlessly, not giving the shorter brunette a chance to stop her at all. The young gust forced her way into an opening by shoving her way forward towards C-Sha rather than away from her and slammed her head into her.

C-Sha's _natural_ protection lessened the impact of IF's headbutt. After IF's head bounced off of C-Sha, she brought her katars up and slashed at C-Sha before flipping away from her. Nisa suddenly followed up on the attack with a kick directly into C-Sha's back.

The outnumbered brawler turned around and grabbed the heroine before throwing her right into IF. Nisa crashed right into IF and the two of them tumbled onto the ground. C-Sha heard a blast go off behind her and instinctively skipped aside before turning around to face the direction it came from. She saw B-Sha standing there, with smoke coming out of her bazooka.

"Huh? I didn't even have to move for that one...", C-Sha taunted.

Suddenly, a dagger struck C-Sha from behind, catching her completely by surprise. She staggered forward and turned around, only to find that the missile B-Sha had launched was carrying a sneaky thief on board. The woman grit her teeth and used her blaster to shoot at the missile.

CC2 leapt off of the missile before C-Sha was able to blow it up. She tumbled on the ground and regained her footing before starting to make her way towards C-Sha, who continued to fire rapidly at her.

"Now!", CC2 shouted.

Before C-Sha could figure out what was going on, it was too late. She was surrounded, and all four girls were rapidly approaching her. The first one to reach her was IF.

"Flame Soul Slice!", IF shouted as her attacked C-Sha with her fiery weapons. Because she was focusing on shooting CC2, the best she could do was block only one of IF's twin katars.

"Laser Cannon, Bandam!", B-Sha called out. Her faithful companion flew in and disassembled itself in mid air, allowing its pieces to combine with B-Sha's bazooka, becoming a much larger gun. B-Sha leapt into the air and posed before aiming the weapon towards her enemy.

"IF, move!", B-Sha shouted.

As soon as IF jumped out of the way, a violent yellow laser was unleashed from B-Sha's weapon and blasted C-Sha. She was able to block this time, but was starting to show visible fatigue.

"Absolute Wind!", CC2 growled as she dashed up towards C-Sha. Thanks to the hotheaded announcement, C-Sha was able to respond to the girl's attack and caught her arms before the daggers reached her. Before C-Sha could follow up with another attack, a blast of wind arose from beneath them and sent both girls up into the air.

C-Sha held onto CC2 and threw her into one of the walls while in mid-air, which Nisa was waiting for. She leapt into the air and brought her fist up towards C-Sha's face.

"Taste the truth!", Nisa shouted as she unleashed her attack. C-Sha easily caught her fist, but didn't expect the package Nisa had been holding to smack into her face.

Nisa landed with a pose next to her awaiting allies, who were also posing next to her.

"This is the fruit of our friendship!", Nisa announced, "The F.L.A.T. Combo!".

After Nisa announced the name of their attack, C-Sha hit the ground behind them accompanied with a completely unnecessary explosion.

After the explosion cleared, C-Sha sniffed the package on her face and smelled the undeniable scent of meat. She sat up, tore open the package and devoured its contents in no more than a few seconds.

"Hey, I recognize this pork. It's from that ramen place in Planeptune!", the woman muttered. The silver ring around her eyes dissipated and she noticed the four girls posing next to her. "Oh, hey B-Sha. What's up? Are we filming one of those kid's TV shows?".

"C-Sha! You're alright!", B-Sha replied joyfully.

"It worked!", CC2 said surprised.

"Good plan, IF! We should have just done this from the start!", Nisa smiled.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to do this big team attack thing first", IF sighed, "Though I have to admit, that was pretty cool.".

"Still waiting…", C-Sha butted in.

"Yeah, come on guys!", B-Sha added, "Do you remember anything happening before this?".

C-Sha stood up and began to think back to the last thing she was doing before she ended up in the dungeon with them. After a few moments, she shook her head. "Sorry, my head's a bit hazy right now. I'll get back to you when I remember something.", she said with a shrug.

"Come on, there has to be something you remember!", B-Sha pushed.

"Calm down, we just broke her free. She needs time to get her head straight.", IF interrupted. She turned to face C-Sha. "You're probably really confused. In a nutshell, we came to rescue one of our friends. We ran into you along the way and you tried to stop us.", she began.

"Yeah, so we had to beat some sense into you!", CC2 added.

"Whoa, really? My bad, everyone!", C-Sha responded, "I didn't give you too much trouble, did I?".

"You put up a great fight! It took the four of us just to take your down!", CC2 smirked.

Nisa stepped forward so that she was standing in between everyone. "A good fight, indeed! But our friendship proved to be stronger!", she announced proudly, before turning to face C-Sha, "Can you still fight? We still need to save our other friend.".

"Nothing too serious. The lunch you brought me really helped me recover from all of that.", C-Sha smiled, "Sure, I'll come with you. I do owe you one for the food, after all!".

"The more the merrier!", Nisa rejoiced.

"Wait, hold on. Aren't the four of us already a crowd?", IF said.

"No way!", CC2 answered.

"I don't mind having more than four people.", B-Sha added.

"Come on IF, parties aren't limited to only four people!", Nisa said.

"Hey, I don't want to ruin your groove or anything. If you don't want me to join, it's no problem.", C-Sha said nonchalantly.

"No, that's not-", IF blurted out, "...I'm not used to being in a party this big, is all. I always went out by myself before I met Nisa.".

"Hey, no hard feelings. We've all gotta start out somewhere.", C-Sha said with a smile.

Nisa nodded in approval. "Now that that's settled, we can finally continue following Lid's trail!", she said triumphantly.

"Yeah! I can't wait to fight that giant robot!", CC2 smirked.

"I call dibs on the parts!", B-Sha winked.

"Whoa, you girls are gonna go fight a giant robot? Looks like today's my lucky day!", C-Sha said.

"And that's two flags today...", IF mumbled.

"Need I remind you all that this is a rescue mission?", Nisa spoke up, "If we're all rested up, then let's hurry! Every minute that passes is another minute where Lid is in danger!".

* * *

Somewhere within an unknown facility, Lid's arms and feet were being held by a machine. She stood with her head down in the dark room, trying to get what little rest she could. It was all she could do, as she was unable to escape without any of her equipment. A set of doors slid open and the lights turned on. Lid didn't respond, already aware of who had just entered the room.

"Have you had enough time to make up your mind?", K-Sha smirked.

Lid glanced up at the school girl with an exhausted, yet defiant look on her face. "You know just as well as I do that I was trained to withstand these sort of situations. You'll never convince me.", Lid muttered.

K-Sha shrugged nonchalantly and marched over to a machine covered in a blanket. She pulled it off swiftly, revealing a device with a large dial on it. It was currently in the "OFF" position all the way to the left. The other settings read "LOW, MID, HIGH", and finally, "MAX". The deviant yandere playfully placed her hand on the dial and looked back towards Lid with an endearing look on her face.

"Everyone has a breaking point! I should know. I reached mine when you betrayed me!", K-Sha said with a smile that betrayed all words.

In an instant, she cranked the dial all the way up to "MAX". Lid closed her eyes and braced herself for the impending shock, only to feel nothing but an odd ticklish sensation. She kept her eyes closed until she heard footsteps move in front of her, then slowly rose her head up to see K-Sha slowly wiggling her fingers playfully.

"Let's just see how long that conditioning of yours can last. Oh, we're going to have so much fun!", K-Sha smiled as she crept towards Lid. She brought her fingers up underneath Lid's armpits and began to tickle her. Lid tried her hardest to resist the irresistible sensation of laughter that K-Sha was making her feel. Yet, despite all of her efforts, she could just barely hold it.

"Tch… St-stofth… ahaha… No…", Lid blurted out.

"You won't be able to hold on forever…", K-Sha purred as she began to rub her head on Lid's chest. Lid knew she couldn't endure such bittersweet torture forever.

_"Hehehe… Ahaha… AHAHAHAHAAA!"._

**CHAPTER 6… The Ultimate Combo, Part 2... END.**


	7. Friends in a Maze of Relationships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being defeated by their Formation Skill, C-Sha joins IF's party in their search for Lid. Unfortunately for them, things didn't really get easier beyond this point, as they discover more than what they bargained for...

It was hard to get lost after that point. The area C-Sha was guarding was just before a straight tunnel. Though it looked fine at first, it started to feel out of place as the girls traveled further down. Less and less blinking tiles colored the walls until nothing but bland concrete could be seen as they passed by. It began to grow more and more dim the further they got from the glowing tiles, making it difficult to see anything.

Bandam held B-Sha piggyback style as it continued to march forward, it's sight uninhibited by the darkness. IF used her phone as a flashlight and everyone else walked around her.

"How long until we get there? This is getting pretty boring", CC2 complained.

"Don't ask me. I don't remember a thing", C-Sha shrugged.

"Oh come on, there has to be something! What's even at the end of this tunnel, anyway?", CC2 replied.

"Well, clearly a light will be at the end of the tunnel!", Nisa said proudly.

"Not to sound like a downer or anything, but we're actually moving _away_ from the light", IF muttered.

"Come now, IF. You need to have a more positive attitude about things if you don't want everything to go wrong", Nisa said to IF.

"I'm just being realistic. I mean, just look at this tunnel we're in. This is all bad news", IF shrugged.

"You mustn't mistake pessimism for realism! You'll end up attracting the worst case scenario onto yourself", Nisa said firmly.

"I'm pretty sure it's just common sense", IF replied.

"Well, why don't you just try looking for the best case scenario instead? That way you can work towards that instead of chalking things up as realism", Nisa rebutted, "Sometimes you just have to make good things happen yourself!"

"Make them happen, huh…", IF mumbled to herself.

"Hey, I found something!", B-Sha called out from up front.

The girl's robot lowered itself to allow B-Sha to easily step off without much effort. IF shined her phone's light at B-Sha, who she saw was pointing towards the ground. There, was a round silver platform with a faint blue light emanating from it.

"This has to be a teleporter.", B-Sha said.

"Or a death trap.", IF said as she crossed her arms. Nisa cleared her throat with a very audible _ahem_. IF uncrossed her arms and took a deep breath. "Though, since it was being guarded, it's probably just a teleporter."

"That robot's right through there, right? Come on, let's do this!", CC2 said. She dashed in ahead of everyone else and stood at the center of the platform and was beamed away.

"Wha-?! CyberCon, you knucklehead!", B-Sha groaned before rushing onto the teleporter herself.

"Hold on, is that place even safe?", C-Sha said surprised.

"We have no time to ponder that now. We must now step into the unknown and rescue Lid from the jaws of a jealous maiden!", Nisa announced.

"We better hurry up before those two get lost. Besides that, I want to get some good hits in before it's over.", C-Sha nodded before getting onto the teleporter, vanishing into the beam.

Nisa turned to IF and they nodded at each other. One after the other, the two girls stepped through the teleporter and briefly re-appeared in a room with a bunch of monitors around the teleporter. C-Sha stood in front of the teleporter, only having arrived a moment before them.

"They can't be too far. Let's-", before C-Sha could finish, a siren began to ring around them, and an audible _clang_ could be heard at the door.

"Already?! I bet they're not even trying to sneak around!", IF groaned.

C-Sha jogged up to the door and tried to open it in vain. She shrugged before breaking the door down in one swift kick. Right behind the door was a small squadron of four robots passing by. Their attention snapped towards C-Sha who took a moment to size them up before going in to fight them.

Nisa and IF joined in and helped the brawler dispatch of the robots quickly. More robots appeared at both ends of the hallways and were closing in fast.

"Which way could they have gone?", Nisa pondered as the robots closed in on them. She looked down both sides of the hallway before the robots were finally before them. Nisa knew what she had to do. The blue haired girl stood up straight from her fighting position and took a step towards one of the squadrons surrounding them.

"It appears you have caught us! You are on quite the roll today, having stopped two infiltration attempts!", Nisa said out loud.

The robots stoically turned to each other in what could only be described as visible confusion.

"Nisa, what the hell are you doing?!", IF scolded.

"We're hopelessly outnumbered. We have no choice but to surrender so they can SAFELY ESCORT US out of the facility", Nisa answered with a quick wink.

"INITIATING INTRUDER ELIMINATION PROTOCOL. MORE INTRUDERS IMPLIED THROUGHOUT THE FACILITY", said a voice from one of the robots.

"Guess we don't have much of a choice here", C-Sha shrugged, "You two clear that side." After finishing a stretch, C-Sha turned around and launched herself into the robots on one side of the hallway. Nisa nodded mirrored C-Sha's move, leaving IF behind momentarily.

"Damn it, we didn't even last five minutes before everything went wrong!", she said to herself in an irritated tone. She sighed and leapt in after Nisa. Initially irritated, IF eased into the combat and even felt a bit _refreshed_ at how seamless she was able to dance through the enemies with her new weapons.

Her hair and coat flew through the air as she sliced through the robots, her oversized sleeves concealing her weapons and making her all the more unpredictable. Nisa glanced at her and for a split second, could truly see why she called herself a "Gust of Wind"- just before IF was caught by surprise by a shot from an enemy she missed. The poor sprout was knocked forward and fell onto the ground.

Nisa kicked off of a robot and destroyed IF's attacker with a devastating blow to its torso before running over to help IF. She quickly cupped her hands underneath her arms and pulled her back to her feet and ran off once more to finish off the rest of the robots. Before Nisa could reach the rest of the robots, they were engulfed in an explosion. After the smoke cleared, Nisa could see B-Sha running through towards them.

"B-Sha?! Where's CyberCon?", Nisa asked.

The small blonde fired another shot down the hall to help C-Sha out before answering Nisa. "I have no idea! She ran off way too fast and then the alarm went off and all these cheap robots showed up!", she blurted out.

A robot was sent flying from the direction C-Sha was in. IF leapt into the air to meet it and sliced it in half. C-Sha ran over to them and looked around.

"I know I'm the one who said we should split up earlier, but it would probably be a better idea if we roamed around as a group in a place like this.", C-Sha said to the group. Everyone nodded in agreement and they all ran down through the facility together, mowing down any opposition they encountered without stopping.

* * *

Elsewhere in the facility, CC2 was grinding her kill score a bit too hard. She had no idea where she or anyone else was.

"Oh boy, looks like I really overdid it this time… I better get back to everyone fast!", she said to herself. She jogged around aimlessly for about two minutes before stopping. "I guess I should just go ahead and look for this friend of Nisa's while I'm at it. That way we could just regroup and get out of here! I wouldn't be able to fight that robot, though… I guess I'll have to settle for all the small fry I took out already, hehe!" She snickered to herself before resuming her search.

At this point, she started checking every room she could find. "What kind of place is this? It looks like some kind of lab, but then…" She trailed as she opened another room, "...there are rooms with nothing but sports merch in them! That doesn't even make any sense!"

She continued her search until she found one room in particular that stood out. With the light from the hallway, she saw someone bound to a machine by her arms and legs, staring at the ground.

"Whoa, are you alright?", CC2 called out to her. The prisoner weakly raised her head to look at the energetic blonde. A mask with a blue butterfly wing on one side covered the girl's face, though a glimmer of hope could be seen in her eyes as she stared back at her possible rescuer. "Help me… please…", the girl pleaded.

Not wasting another second, CC2 rushed forward and freed the girl from the devices binding her. The girl stumbled forward onto her knees once she was loose. CC2 lowered herself and offered her shoulder to the girl to help her up.

"Hey, what's your name?", CC2 asked, "I'm CyberConnect2! CC2 for short!"

"...Joker.", the girl responded in a low voice. She dusted off her black blue school uniform and and readjusted the red ribbon on her chest. Her red hair hung at her shoulders, messy after who knows how long. Her feet were wobbly as she stood up, weak from her captivity.

"My pleasure, Joker! I have some friends who will help get you out of here. Let's go find them!", the thief grinned, "But first, you should eat something. You look way too exhausted!"

CC2 reached into her bag and handed the girl a meat bun. Joker responded with a slow nod and took the small snack. She lifted her mask just high enough to be able to eat it, but not high enough for CC2 to get a look at her face. After she felt a bit replenished, she re-adjusted her mask and nodded at her savior.

CC2 walked over to the door and looked outside before beckoning Joker over. The masked girl followed CC2 outside into the labyrinth of hallways. Oddly enough, they didn't run into any more robots. Perhaps they were busy with some other intruders or something. Whatever the reason, it allowed the two to move around uninhibited throughout the unknown facility.

* * *

IF's party stampeded through the hallways without stopping, running a train through any squads trying to stop them. They had been searching for a while now and had subconsciously developed a method of checking each room. Someone at the front checked, everyone behind that person "leapfrogged" in front of them and kept moving forward, continuing to rotate as they moved as a group. Their momentum had built up and they showed no signs of stopping.

Which was exactly the problem when they finally found the room they were looking for. B-Sha opened to the door and found the barrel of a gun staring back at her. Before she could call for help, K-Sha caught her in a headlock and muffled B-Sha's cries with her hand as she pulled the poor girl inside, all within a matter of seconds.

The category 3 Gust of Wind brushed on until they reached a dead end and no more robots were in sight. That was when they finally realized something was amiss. The remaining three girls looked around at each other until someone finally asked what was on all of their minds.

"Hey, where's B-Sha?", IF spoke up. A concerned look was plastered on her face.

"She must have fallen behind. We were going quite fast there…", Nisa suggested.

C-Sha held her elbow with one hand and held her chin with the other, thinking to herself for a moment. "No, something's not right. She may be be small, but B-Sha's not the type to just up and vanish like that.", the tall brunette explained, "When's she's not doing that superhero thing, of course."

"Superhero thing?", IF butted in.

"YES, WHAT SUPERHERO? CERTAINLY NOT B-SHA! HAHAHA!", Nisa replied with a nervous laugh.

To this, IF glanced at C-Sha and was met with a simple shrug. "Let's hurry up and retrace our steps. Check the rooms, too. She can't be too far", C-Sha ordered.

With a nod from each of them, IF and Nisa ran off before C-Sha to retrace their steps, each girl taking one side of the hallway as C-Sha kept up in between them...

* * *

CC2 and Joker continued to jog through the facility, taking note of every corner before crossing to another hallway. Joker felt her energy slowly return now that she was finally able to move. The blonde grit her teeth and sighed to relieve her frustration.

"I, uh… I've got to be honest with you here. I _kind of_ don't know where we're going", CC2 said with an awkward chuckle.

Joker rose her head up and looked around. "Allow me to point us in the right direction, then", she spoke up. She brought out a large, blue book and opened it. Seemingly at random, she plucked out a glowing card and glanced at it before pointing it down one of the hallways. "The hand of fate points this way", she muttered.

"How do you know?", CC2 asked.

"Our fate is in the cards. These predictions are absolute.", the schoolgirl replied.

"Are you sure? You barely got a look at it!", CC2 pressed.

Joker looked at CC2 for a moment, her expression hidden behind her mask. CC2 shrugged. "Well, it's not like I've got any better ideas. Alright, let's trust this 'fate' of yours!", she grinned.

Putting their faith in the cards, the two girls traveled down the hallway Joker pointed out. Oddly enough, it was a deceivingly long hallway. As they ran, CC2 glanced over to Joker. To her surprise, she didn't seem to be tired at all anymore. It was only a matter of time until they finally reached their destination at the end of the hallway.

A large mechanical gateway stood before the girls. They eyed it for a moment and looked at each other. CC2 tried to look for some way to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly, a robotic voice spoke out.

"PASSWORD REQUIRED FOR ENTRY BEYOND THIS POINT.", it announced.

"Password, huh? Any idea what it is?", CC2 asked as she turned to Joker.

"Hm… my academic skill leads me to believe that it is '140.15'. Good thing I paid attention to everything K-Sha said whenever she came in to rant", Joker answered.

"Rant? About what?", CC2 replied.

"She complained about how she couldn't get some girl named 'Lid' to join her and asked me for advice about it", Joker shrugged.

"What did you say?"

"I said, 'Who cares?' She didn't like that.", Joker muttered. She held her arms as if she was shivering and walked up towards the door. As she approached it, a holographic panel appeared in front of it. After inputting the password, there was a loud "BEEP". The girls stepped back and waited for something to happen.

"... PASSWORD ACCEPTED.", the voice announced. The large door split open and slid to the sides, revealing a large hangar within. They ran in swiftly, and quickly realized what they had just walked into.

"That's… that's that giant robot! I think Nisa said it was called 'Nepu Gear' or something like that!", CC2 said excitedly.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be heavily damaged. The large machine's armor casing was filled with bullet holes and blast markings. It seemed miraculous it was even able to make it back to this hangar at all. Most notable of all, however, was the fact that it seemed to be in the middle of getting repaired.

"Looks like a fight with it is out of the question now…", CC2 sighed, "I don't think any of my friends are here. Guess that means the two of us are gonna have to deal with this thing ourselves. You can fight, right?"

Joker nodded and brought out her large book once more, keeping it open at the ready. The two girls began to sneak through the hangar as they made their way up to the control room near the top.

They sneaked inside unnoticed and shut the door behind them. The room had windows in every direction and consoles all along them. Not a soul was inside save for one- somebody was sitting in a chair overseeing the repairs.

A cup of tea sat on one of the consoles. As the overseer reached out for it, Joker pulled out a card from her book and summoned a lightning bolt that struck between the overseer's hand the the cup of tea. The person's white sleeve flinched before being pulled back. The overseer turned her chair around to get a look at the two intruders.

In front of CC2 and Joke sat a woman with shoulder length blonde hair with gold eyes and red glasses, wearing a white, black and gray military cap. Along with this was a uniform with short pants of the same color scheme and a pair of thigh high boots.

The woman looked at the both of them with a slightly annoyed look in her eyes. "Intruders? It appears I neglected to place enough units on guard duty…", the woman said in a commanding voice.

"We would've just torn through them anyway", CC2 grinned with her daggers at the ready.

"If you would be so kind as to step aside, it would be most appreciated", Joker spoke up.

"And abandon the repairs of this robot? Nonsense. My reputation of being able to fix any machine is on the line here. I won't allow you to sully my name!", the woman declared as she stood up. She brought out out a multi-colored beam rifle and began shooting at the pair of intruders.

CC2 was able to jump out of the way, but Joker wasn't as quick and took a hit. The blonde thief followed up by dashed towards the woman head-on. Out of her line of sight, small mechanical bits emerged and began to shoot at CC2, hitting her before she could reach her destination. Blasted aside, both girls were now on the ground.

"How bothersome. And here I thought you were actually going to be trouble", the woman scoffed, "I suppose now I'll have to dispose of you." She began to walk up towards CC2 with her beam rifle pointed at her.

Joker pushed herself up and slid out one of the skill cards from her book. She quietly muttered to herself as she cast a spell on CC2. Suddenly, the thief felt herself rejuvenated as the woman approached her, now pointing her colorful rifle at her head.

When her attacker got close enough, CC2 suddenly lashed out with a sudden surprise attack and tackled the woman down onto the floor. Now sitting on top of her, CC2 held her daggers over the overseer's neck.

"Tch… Two mishaps in one day. Perhaps a tactical withdrawal is in order", the young woman muttered.

"Hey! Don't think you're gonna be able to just walk away from this!" CC2 barked, "We're here to rescue someone and we can't have this thing getting in the way!"

"You don't want it interfering with your rescue?" The sharp woman maintained her commanding tone as she replied, "It can barely even move in its current state. And even if it could, I was only ever contracted to repair the robot, not guard hostages. The kid who hired me is busy right now anyway, so there are currently no available pilots."

"Oh, really? Wow, that's pretty nice of you, ma'am!", CC2 said surprised. She relaxed her grip on her daggers and pulled them away from the woman's throat, though she remained on top of the woman on the ground.

Joker lingered around near the two blondes as if wanting to be noticed until CC2 saw her.

"Oh, that's right! These guys are kidnapping people! How could you work for people like that?!" CC2 asked this as she brought her dagger close to the woman's throat again.

"It is my understanding that the people being held here are criminals", the woman replied calmly.

"But Joker here's a high school student! She couldn't be a criminal!", CC2 rebutted. The two blondes turned to look up at the masked girl.

Joker took a few moments to respond, as if trying to think of the correct choice of words for the situation. Finally, she said: "Of course not."

"See? They're kidnapping innocent people! She was a complete wreck when I found her!", CC2 added.

The sharp woman closed her eyes and analyzed the situation in her head. "I'll dig into my employer's background some more and draw my own conclusions. If I do, in fact, find some evidence to your claims, I will cut off all contact with them and report them to the proper authorities", she said, "Though I will continue to work for them in the meantime."

"And you'll let us know what you find, right?", the thief pressed.

" _If_ I find something, CyberConnect2", the woman replied.

"How do you know her name?", Joker butted in.

"I do routine repairs on her partner's robot.", the woman replied.

"Oh, then you must be Generia G.!", CC2 said with a surprised look on her face, "You better let us know if you find something, you hear me?"

"Roger that. Now please get off of me", Generia said, with a hint of annoyance in her tone. CC2 pulled her daggers away and stood up, now stepping away from the woman. Generia got up onto her feet and dusted off her uniform before giving the two girls her attention.

"You're looking for the one K-Sha brought in recently, right? It's that way. Two lefts then a right", Generia said with a salute.

Joker crossed her arms. "...Wouldn't that just bring us back here?"

"Two rights then a left", she reaffirmed.

Joker shook her head.

Generia pressed a button on one of the consoles and a small robot entered the room shortly afterwards. "Just follow this, de arimasu."

CC2 and Joker glanced at each other and exchanged shrugs.

* * *

At around the same time, IF, Nisa and C-Sha finally reached the room they thought B-Sha just _had_ to be in. They utterly decimated the poor mechanical door as they burst into the dark room. The only sign of light was from the hallway behind the three girls. Suddenly, the door shut behind them and for a moment, the room was pitch black. A moment later, a spotlight shot down and revealed the trio amidst the darkness.

"Glad you three could finally make it!", K-Sha's voice said. The instant after she spoke, a spotlight shone down on a distance away from them to reveal the crimson schoolgirl. "You've kept us waiting. Well, not me. I was having fun with my dear Lid~!", the schoolgirl swooned, "But when your little friend interrupted us, I had no other choice but to have her join in on the fun as well!"

Two more spotlights lit up behind K-Sha, revealing Lid and B-Sha bound with mechanical braces by the arms and legs. B-Sha looked up frantically and called out to her friends, while Lid was panting heavily with her head staring at the ground.

"H-hey! This is no way to treat kids!", the blonde complained.

"Wait, don't say that!", Lid butted in as she glanced towards her fellow captive.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. We're all friends here, right?", K-Sha smirked as she took held up a remote, "And friends LOVE to play with each other, _don't they_?"

With a push of the remote, B-Sha and Lid began to shiver slightly. Two robotic arms appeared around both girls and began to tickle the both of them. They tried to hold back their laughter, but their shivers made them all the more sensitive to the touch. They began to cry tears of what would usually be joy.

"Hahaha… ahahaha! No more! Stop, plea-hahaha!", B-Sha snorted.

"K-Shahahaa… Leave them… ehehe...pshahaha! Out of...kehehehe… THITH!", Lid managed to blurt out.

"Fear not! We shall rescue you from the clutches of this jealous yandere!", Nisa called out to them. She stepped forward and began to run right towards them.

"Wait, don't-!", Lid tried to to speak up, but was way too late. The ground underneath Nisa lit up until she was completely enveloped in light. After a moment, the light died down, but Nisa was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did she go?", IF asked. She looked around the dark room, but failed to see any sign of her partner.

"Why, she's right here!", K-Sha answered. She held up a card between her index and middle fingers for IF and C-Sha to see. Though they had to squint to actually make out the image on it from afar, what they saw was undeniably Nisa with a silly look of shock on her face.

"Ugh, that idiot!", IF sighed.

"Did you seriously just turn her into a card?", C-Sha asked.

"I don't know. Can you seriously suplex a bear?", K-Sha responded.

"That's more of Tekken's thing", C-Sha shrugged.

"What do you do, then?", K-Sha asked.

"Cars", the taller brunette responded nonchalantly.

"Isn't that a bit impractical?", K-Sha replied.

"Says the one who just turned someone into a playing card", IF grumbled.

"Whoops, got sidetracked there for a second", C-Sha smiled awkwardly.

K-Sha fanned herself with the Nisa card as she smirked at the two brunettes. "If you want your friends back, then you're going to have to duel me for them!"

"What is it with you people holding people hostage over a damn game?!", IF barked. She seethed in place for a moment until she felt C-Sha's hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, relax. If you lose your cool, then you've already lost", the woman said reassuringly.

"How am I supposed to react, then?", IF responded in a frustrated tone.

"Just smile! Great adventurers should be able to keep their spirits up in the most trying times", C-Sha answered. She complimented her remark with a smile of her own. Before IF had a chance to respond, K-Sha called out once more.

"Hey, are you two listening? Your friend's lives are in the balance here", she said in a more serious tone. She pushed another button on the remote and all the lights in the room turned on, revealing a holographic arena between K-Sha and the two brunettes. The two ends before both parties had an elevated platform attached to the arena.

"Before we begin, you two are going to have to decide who's going to fight", K-Sha explained with a sinister sneer growing on her face, "I think you know what I mean by now."

IF grit her teeth as C-Sha took one step forward. "You can't seriously be considering this!", she cried out.

The brawler glanced back at IF. "Hey, I'm open to any other ideas you may have. I'm not exactly one to turn down a fight and we don't really have any other choice. One of us has to bite the bullet here." She gave the shorter girl a thumbs up accompanied with her usual, natural smile. "You're a smart girl, IF. I know you can handle this!"

Without hesitation, C-Sha stepped forward and was enveloped in a bright light. After it died down, a single card hovered in the air as if it were daring someone to take it. "Gee, way to lay out the all the pressure one me", IF said in an annoyed tone. The remaining girl walked up and extended her arm to grab the card. Her sleeve slid down her arm as she reached for it, allowing her to actually get a solid grip on it.

When she turned it around, she was greeted with C-Sha holding her left fist up and winking back at her. IF looked up across the room and saw that K-Sha had already started walking towards her platform. Following suit, IF walked up the steps to the platform opposite of her opponent. K-Sha arrived at the same time and stood at the ready.

Before each girl was a blank holographic interface awaiting their demands. IF scanned it with her eyes and looked up to show her opponent she was ready.

"I'm looking forward to this game. I've never had this many friends to play with before!", K-Sha smiled. Though oddly enough, this smile was different. IF didn't see a smile of mockery or insanity. It was… genuine.

"I've had enough 'games' already this week. I'm gonna send that smirk of yours straight to hell!", IF shouted.

"You're going to have to beat me, first", K-Sha responded. The smile on her face was washed away and replaced with a more serious look. "Very well, then."

After a few moments of intense staring and camera close-ups to both girls, K-Sha finally shouted, "Draw!"

Both girls intensely pulled their cards back and raised them up into the air, intent on slamming their cards onto the holographic interface so hard that it would take a camera several takes to accurately capture the impact. As the two girls laid their cards down, they cried out in unison.

"It's time…"

"...to duel!"

**CHAPTER 7… Seeking Friends in a Maze of Relationships... END.**


	8. The Heart of a Yandere's Cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her friends now hanging in the balance, IF must duel K-Sha in a popular trading card game to save them.

"It's time…", K-Sha cried out as she slammed her card down onto the holographic layout.

"...to duel!", IF followed, as she placed her own card down in sync with her opponent.

Both cards lit up as they now rested on the interface, and a light appeared before each platform in the arena below. When the light died down, the two girls stored within the cards emerged.

C-Sha appeared before IF's platform, jumping in place and ready for battle. On K-Sha's side stood Nisa, who was posing just as everyone expected. IF looked down at them and then back up at K-Sha.

"So, 'IF', was it? Do you think you can handle this?", K-Sha snickered.

"I've played card games before", IF shrugged.

"Good. You know the rules, and so do I. Your move", the schoolgirl responded.

A deck appeared to the right of each duelist, resting atop their digital interfaces. They both drew their first hand of five cards each. IF scanned the hand she was dealt and contemplated which card she should play first for several moments.

"Why are you thinking so much on the first turn of the match?", K-Sha blurted out impatiently.

"I like to think before fully committing to a strategy", IF answered nonchalantly.

"Interesting. You don't get this sort of caution from any other gal", K-Sha smiled mischievously, "I look forward to seeing how you fare against my deck."

IF took a deep breath as she tried to ignore her opponent. She nodded after finally settling on a card. "I think I'll go with this one, in the face down position", IF declared, "And that's all for my-"

"Pffffft, HAHAHAHAA!", a laugh erupted from K-Sha's side of the room. IF glanced down to her left and saw that B-Sha was now being pushed into a fit of laughter, courtesy of K-Sha's absolutely _terrifying_ torture device.

"On second thought, take all the time you need. I'm sure my new friends wouldn't mind!", K-Sha said.

"It's your turn now. You better not try to draw it out!", IF called out.

"I'll make this quick, then. I summon [Pwinny, the Dood], in attack mode", K-Sha announced, "And I'll attack with [Nisa, Gamindustri's Keeper of Justice]!"

After these commands, a purple penguin with bat wings and a machete appeared next to Nisa on K-Sha's side of the arena. Nisa struck yet another pose and dashed up towards C-Sha and leapt into the air to deliver a flying kick. C-Sha responded with her own kick, and the two fighters clashed. Their legs remained connected, struggling to gain the upper… leg… and strike their opponent.

"Why are they taking this long? [C-Sha, The Blue Brawler] clearly has more attack power!", IF shouted. At that comment, C-Sha's kick pushed through and knocked Nisa flying back towards K-Sha's side of the arena, landing on her back. A holographic panel appeared on K-Sha's side and displayed the number "2000", and was promptly deducted to 1700 to the sound of multiple "beeps". Nisa promptly got back onto her feet and dusted herself off before returning into her fighting stance.

"How could this be? Did I really get the end up with the weaker one?!", K-Sha grumbled. She shook her head and smirked again. "You won't be so lucky, next time. I end my turn."

IF couldn't help but have a smirk spread across her face as she drew a card from her deck. After taking a quick look at her hand, IF made her next move. "I summon [V-Boomerang], in attack mode!", IF called out.

"A minion card, huh? Pretty lucky, if you ask me. And here I thought I would be able to get away with just attacking your little blue friend directly", K-Sha commented.

"That sounds like a good idea. C-Sha, attack K-Sha's _little blue friend_!", IF ordered.

K-Sha's face slowly changed from smug, to shock, then to anger as she realized what her poor choice of words now led up to. C-Sha's arm transformed into a blaster and she charged a shot before unleashing it onto Nisa. A blue energy blast flew out towards the blue-haired heroine, resulting in an explosion. Nisa was now enveloped in a cloud of smoke.

"I got her!", IF said.

"Ha! Better look again, Iffy!", K-Sha taunted.

As IF looked again, the smoke was now beginning to clear. Though Nisa had raised her arms up to block the attack, she was completely unscathed. IF looked back towards her own side of the arena. "What?!", she blurted out.

C-Sha was now caught in a very tight hug, courtesy of [Pwinny, the Dood]. Her arms were stuck to her sides as the small penguin squeezed itself against her, clearly taking advantage of the situation.

"What's going on? That attack clearly hit Nisa!", IF complained.

"It's [Pwinny]'s special ability. First, it takes damage in the place of another card. Then, if defeated, it latches onto the attacker. And finally…", the schoolgirl explained as she looked down upon the scene beneath IF's corner.

Suddenly, the dwarfish penguin began flashing red and tightened its grip on the struggling brunette even harder, enjoying it's last few moments of pillowy comfort before blowing up into smithereens. The holographic display above IF's platform rumbled dramatically as it was deducted from 2000 to 1400. The short brunette grit her teeth at the sight of it, and snapped her attention down to the taller brunette. C-Sha was lying on her back and remained that way for several moments before she sprang back up onto her feet. She spat at the ground before getting back into her fighting stance. IF relaxed her breathing before raising her gaze up to K-Sha.

"Shouldn't a card like that be a trap card?", IF called out.

"You can complain all you want, but a card's a card", K-Sha shrugged, "You didn't think you would be able to rely solely on raw power to defeat me, did you? If you don't have a strategy, then it's only a matter of time before you lose!"

"Tch, dammit…", IF muttered to herself before raising her voice, "...Your turn."

As K-Sha drew her card, the door to the room slid open. Everyone's attention was now directed at the blonde thief and her masked schoolgirl companion, with a small robot in between them.

"Whoa, look at the size of this place!", CC2 commented with a surprised look on her face. Joker looked around with her hands in her skirt's pockets before CC2 noticed who else was in the room. "Hey, all my friends are in here!", CC2 said to Joker.

Just as CC2 was about to start running in, she stopped when she heard someone calling out to her. "Don't take another step, CyberCon! You'll turn into a card!", IF shouted from her platform.

"W-whoa, seriously?!", the blonde said as she jerked herself backwards. Joker looked up towards IF's platform and started leaning forward towards it, only for CC2 to pull her back. "Hey, didn't you hear her?! Be more careful!", CC2 exclaimed. Joker scratched the back of her head and turned her attention towards the arena beneath IF and K-Sha.

B-Sha's restrained laughter from across the room caught CC2's attention. "What the heck is going on here?!", CC2 shouted.

"This, this and that happened and now I have to do this!", IF responded.

"Huh?", CC2 said with a blank look on her face.

"So K-Sha kidnapped Lid and B-Sha, then turned Nisa and C-Sha into cards. Now you need to defeat her in order to get all your friends back", Joker "repeated" softly, "I comprehend."

"You understood that?!", CC2 said surprised, "How?"

Joker remained silent for a few moments before shrugging and looking away. "...Who cares?"

CC2 shrugged and turned her attention onto the the arena, then back towards the pair of struggling captives. "IF better hurry up, then", she said to herself.

K-Sha cleared her throat as she resumed her turn. "More friends? Wonderful! I look forward to adding them to my collection", the girl smirked. K-Sha picked out her next card card from her hand. "Speaking of friends, shall I introduce you to another one of mine?"

"No", Joker responded.

"Nah", IF shrugged.

"Friends don't trap other friends into cards, moron!", CC2 shouted.

"Hahaha… *wheeze* ...PFFFTHAHAHAHA!", B-Sha laughed.

"Pftyou… ahaha… captured thomeone elth?", Lid blurted out.

K-Sha fanned herself with the card. "I was very lonely without you, Lid. So I decided to find some other friends to fill the void you left in my heart when you LEFT me", K-Sha said before crossing her arms, "They didn't want to at first, but that's nothing a little _convincing_ couldn't fix!"

"K-Sha…", was all Lid was able to say before another tickle jolted her senses.

"Hurry up and play your damn card already!", IF scolded from across the arena.

"What's the rush, Iffy? Everyone's having so much fun!", K-Sha replied with a smirk accompanied with a shrug. She looked at the the card she picked out once more. "Meet one of the latest friends in my collection- [Platinum G.]!", the schoolgirl declared as she placed down the card. In the arena, a tall woman appeared next to Nisa sporting short, black hair with white highlights streaking along the edges. She wore a pair of glasses and a black, skin tight suit with gray belts that showed off her respectable two B's as well as some skin along her legs and back. Though there was a sizable katana sheathed on her back, the most notable thing about her was that she was fashioning a pair of high heels in this getup- probably the most bizarre pair IF had ever seen. IF wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but for a moment it looked like Nisa glanced over to her new ally with a hint of envy on her face.

"Wait a minute. If you have even more people trapped inside cards, you better let them all out when I win!", IF shouted.

" _If_ you win", K-Sha responded in a serious tone.

At the entrance of the room, CC2 tapped her foot impatiently while Joker's gaze lingered upon IF before she turned to look at the arena with her fists clenched into her pockets.

"I think I've seen that lady around before. She seemed pretty strong, too… How did she end up getting kidnapped?", CC2 wondered out loud.

Joker looked on, electing to speak with inner monologue for some reason rather than sharing her thoughts with her ally who was standing right next to her. "They both have two cards in play, but… Iffy's [V-Boomerang] has way weaker attack power than any of the other cards", she thought.

"I'll end this turn by attacking that pathetic little minion of yours. Nisa, attack!", K-Sha ordered. Nisa responded with a pose. Her mouth moved as she did this, yet no sound came out. She leaped into the air and unleashed several daggers down upon the poor little minion. The short red minion staggered as it was hit by the daggers.

"Direct hit", K-Sha said confidently.

"Wait, something's up with those daggers!", CC2 called out.

The daggers began to glow and vanished, leaving IF's card unharmed. Suddenly, they reappeared around the display that showed K-Sha's life points and drove themselves into it, causing a sound akin to glass shattering before causing it to rumble. K-Sha was nearly swept off of her feet as her own platform rumbled as a result. She grabbed onto the sides and pushed herself back into an upright position. She looked up at her life points to find that she had been deducted to 1400, down from 1700. The room fell quiet with confusion until B-Sha burst out laughing once more.

"Was that supposed to happen?", CC2 finally asked.

"Pffft… hahahahaa!", B-Sha snorted.

"...", Joker shrugged.

IF looked down at her holographic interface, then back over to K-Sha. "Looks like [V-Boomerang]'s defense is higher than Nisa's attack power. I'm not sure whether I should be glad or really disappointed", IF spoke up.

"Aha! Hahahaha!", B-Sha continued to laugh.

K-Sha continued to hold onto the sides of her platform and seemed to be taking the loss pretty well until she saw that even Lid began to snicker a bit. " _Silence_ ", she snapped. She looked down at Nisa in disgust. Raising her gaze up towards IF, she stood up straight and let go of the sides of her platform. "... Your move."

IF scanned the field once more before drawing another card. She pulled up a card and held it in front of her face. "I summon the spell card, "Giga Freeze"!", she called out.

"What?!", K-Sha blurted out.

"Whoa, that really caught her off guard. What's this "Giga Freeze" card do?", CC2 said.

Joker pulled out her book and flipped through it for a few seconds before closing it again with an audible "plop". "Whichever card Iffy picks can't do anything for one turn", Joker muttered.

"Oh, I get it! Now she's gonna be able to focus on the same target with both of her cards!", CC2 nodded.

IF pointed down towards [Platinum G.]. "Freeze to hell!", she shouted. At that, the woman began to shiver. As ice crept up her long legs, she struck an absolutely fabulous pose as she was frozen into a gorgeous ice sculpture. K-Sha looked like she was going to start squeezing her cards up as she saw IF pick a second card from her hand.

"Tch… you were saving that one, weren't you?", K-Sha said.

"I told you I like to think before I move, didn't I?", IF said with a smirk. She looked down towards Nisa and briefly wondered whether or not she was actually feeling any of this or not before shrugging it off. "And now, I attack Nisa directly with both of my cards!"

C-Sha and [V-Boomerang] nodded at each other and began closing the gap between themselves and Nisa. The short red minion reached Nisa first and hit her with an attack that caused her to recoil in slow motion, while C-Sha hit Nisa several times at mach speed, only for the final hit to be delivered by [V-Boomerang] in a devastating slow motion kick that knocked the wind out of Nisa. After their combined assault, C-Sha and her ally retreated back to their side of the arena.

K-Sha's platform rumbled violently as her life points dropped by 600 points, all the way down to 800. This time, she couldn't grab hold of the sides of the platform and fell onto her back. As she began to pull herself back up, K-Sha could hear IF continue her commands from across the room.

"To follow that up, I summon a second spell card!", IF announced, "Go, [Feat. Demon Slayer]!"

K-Sha pulled herself up and held onto the sides of her platform preemptively. "[Feat. Demon Slayer]?", she repeated wearily.

CC2 glanced towards Joker once more. "[Feat. Demon Slayer]... that card is said to have been forged from a union of heaven and hell itself… But that's just a rumor", Joker said intensely.

"Sounds pretty strong. What the heck does it do, though?", CC2 pushed.

"...", Joker looked away and shrugged.

"Oh, come on! You had a cool explanation and everything going on!", CC2 complained.

"Allow me to explain", IF began, "It damages the opponent for a third of the damage I've already dealt this turn. So that'll be another 200 points off for Crazy over here."

On the field below, a portal opened up beneath IF's platform and spat out a distinguishable man in a trench coat who was censored by an enormous black bar. Loud "bangs" emanated from beneath the censor bar and the sound of glass shattering came from K-Sha's life points display, eliciting another rumble from the schoolgirl's platform. She was now sitting at 600 life points.

K-Sha had braced herself for the impact, and this time was able to rumble along with the platform instead of losing her footing. After several moments of intense rumble features, K-Sha started panting and looked up towards IF with an irritated look on her face.

"Anything… else?", the schoolgirl panted angrily.

"Just one. I'll end my turn with this! I summon, [Henshin A-Go-Go]!", IF called out.

B-Sha looked up from her fit of laughter. "Bahaha… Wait, isn't that… haHA! Is she gonna transform? Ahahahaa!", she blurted out. She was tearing up at this point over all the laughing. "Please… hahaha… no more… teeheehee, haha!"

"Transform?", K-Sha repeated.

"[Henshin A-Go-Go]... it echoes the battle cry of many great defenders of Truth and Justice", Joker explained.

"Whoa, that's pretty coo-", CC2 paused when she looked at Joker, "Where'd you get that other mask?"

A pink ranger mask was now over Joker's face, right on top of her original butterfly mask. "I have a mask for every occasion", she replied. The double masked girl twirled around in some sort of martial arts display before stopping at a pose.

"I'm not one to judge", the thief with a smile on her face. CC2's eyes lit up with realization. "Oh I get it. It's like one of those kids shows B-Sha watches!"

"H-hey! Those shows are cool!", B-Sha called out from across the room.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever.", IF sighed, "Anyway, to get this card to work, I have to sacrifice another one."

"I see now! That's why she attacked first!", CC2 grinned.

K-Sha grit her teeth and groaned.

"That's right. Now, I sacrifice [V-Boomerang] as tribute to empower C-Sha!", IF declared. On the field, [V-Boomerang] turned around and gave a final two-fingered salute towards C-Sha and IF before dramatically shattering like glass. C-Sha lowered her head out of respect before a beam of light surrounded her.

When she emerged from the beam, she was now wearing a blue helmet with a yellow visor over her eyes with a "C" shaped boomerang attached to the forehead. Her brown hair was bunched into a ponytail and emerged from the back of the helmet, with the familiar pill capsule hair clip still attached near the end. Her hands now had what appeared to be yellow pom-poms. She lifted up her right knee and extended her left arm while bringing her right arm over her head, pointing both pom-poms towards K-Sha, and an explosion appeared behind her as she posed. As K-Sha looked back at the empowered C-Sha, a slight grin started to creep up on her face.

"And with that, [C-Sha, The Blue Brawler] is now [Cutiful C]!", IF declared, before pausing. "...Seriously? Who the hell comes up with these names? Bah, who cares. This game's gone on long enough. [Cutiful C], attack!"

C-Sha didn't respond.

"Hey, are you listening? Go hit her!", IF pointed towards Nisa.

C-Sha didn't respond.

"What the hell's going on?", IF grumbled.

K-Sha burst out laughing. "Don't tell me you already forgot the rules, Iffy! You turned C-Sha into a new card. Cards can't attack on the same turn they've been played!", she explained.

IF's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. "...D-dammit!", she cried out.

"You weren't planning winning in a single swoop, were you?", K-Sha smirked, "If you have no other cards cards to play, then it's my turn."

IF sighed at herself in disappointment.

"It's okay, IF! You'll get her next turn!", CC2 shouted reassuringly.

Joker looked up towards K-Sha. "That look on her face… she has a plan", she thought to herself.

K-Sha drew her next card, but didn't even bother to look at it. [Platinum G.] was unfrozen now, and Nisa was visibly eager to make her next move. IF anxiously waited for K-Sha to perform her next move, following her hand movements closely. She flinched when K-Sha pulled one card up from her hand.

"...Kept you waiting, huh?", K-Sha taunted. She chuckled for a moment before giving her first command. "[Platinum G.], why don't you go meet your new friend?"

At this, [Platinum G.] unsheathed the katana on her back and sprinted towards the transformed C-Sha. [Cutiful C] deflected several swings before finally catching the katana with her yellow pom-poms. For a few moments, they went back and forth in a struggle to gain the upper hand.

"...Nothing's happening. Does that mean it's a draw?", CC2 asked.

"Yes", Joker responded.

"What happens now, then?" CC2 said.

"They're both supposed to take some damage, but…", Joker paused to look up from the power struggle and up towards K-Sha. "...Nothing's happening."

IF noticed K-Sha still holding the card she pulled out of her hand. "Quit drawing this out and play your damn card already! I already know you're gonna break the tie with it!", IF shouted.

"What's wrong, Iffy? Feeling impatient?", K-Sha replied in a mocking tone, "Shouldn't you be happy you're winning?"

"Sh-shut up!", IF barked.

"Don't let her get to you, IF!", CC2 shouted.

"Oh, please. I hardly need words to do that", K-Sha asserted with a serious look on her face. She gave the card she picked out a passing glance before playing it. "I summon the spell card, [Plot Twist]!"

"You've gotta be freaking kidding me", IF groaned.

"I'm not joking", K-Sha smiled, "This card allows me to gain the upper hand if there's ever a tie."

"I know that card. There was a petition to ban it, once", Joker spoke up.

"Did anything come of it?", CC2 asked.

"Nothing. The players decided to "unofficially" ban it themselves. Anyone who tries using that card gets kicked out of fan meetups and banned from online chat rooms", Joker explained.

"Do people really take these card games that seriously?", CC2 replied. Joker shrugged.

Meanwhile, [Platinum G.] and [Cutiful C] continued their power struggle. Once K-Sha played her card, [Platinum G.] smirked. She pulled her katana away and took a step back to kick the brunette in the face, only for [Cutiful C] to catch her outrageous looking high heel boot in between her pom-poms. Suddenly, a loud "bang" could be heard coming from the boot. The blue fighter let go and was sent reeling backwards before clutching her face in pain. [Platinum G.] winked and blew a kiss towards the wounded fighter before backflipping her way to K-Sha's side. After a few moments, [Cutiful C] wiped some soot off of her visor with one of her pom-poms.

IF's platform rumbled, sending her shifting uneasily from side to side as her life points beeped down from 1400 to 1000. After it finished rumbling, she shook her head and stood up straight.

"Any other aces up your sleeve?", IF called out, now pointing at Nisa, "Or are you gonna damage yourself again?"

"Just one", K-Sha replied. Not wasting any time, K-Sha pulled out another card from her hand and played it. "I summon the spell card, [Turnabout]!"

"[Turnabout]?", IF repeated.

"Oh boy. Even I can figure out what that card does!" CC2 exclaimed. Joker hummed to herself as she observed K-Sha intently, her invisible gaze studying the girl. "That card…", she mumbled quietly.

"This girl, Nisa", K-Sha pointed, "She's your partner, right?"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?", IF snapped.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought you'd want her back", K-Sha replied. A smirk crept onto her lips. "With the [Turnabout] card, I can switch any two cards on the field around, regardless of who controls them!"

IF's eyes widened with shock. "N-no!"

"[Turnabout]! Switch [Nisa, Gamindustri's Keeper of Justice] with Iffy's [Cutiful C]!", K-Sha shouted.

Suddenly, two men were teleported into the arena, with one man under each platform. The one under IF's platform wore a blue suit with a red tie and had spiky hair, and sported a pair of black shades. On K-Sha's side stood a handsome man with a red suit and cravat, also sporting a pair of shades. The man in the blue suit grabbed the tall brunette by the wrist as the man in red did the same with Nisa. Suddenly, they pulled the gripped the girls' wrists tightly and _threw_ them across the arena towards the opposite sides, shouting "Take that!" as they unleashed the two girls.

Nisa and Cutiful C flew past each other with a look of helplessness on their faces and landed on their feet when they reached their destinations, skidding into the men in suits and causing them to poof away as they went through them. They turned around and resumed their fighting stances, awaiting the bidding of their new masters.

"And now, I strike! [Cutiful C]! Show that pathetic flatty how to be a _real_ hero!", K-Sha commanded.

Under K-Sha's orders, the tall brunette sprinted across the arena and leaped into the air and began punching into the air with her pom-poms down towards Nisa. Her yellow pom-poms sent out energy blasts down upon the heroine. Nisa responded by blocking the with her scarf. After soaking up all of the blasts, she pushed her scarf aside aside dramatically and leaped up into the air to meet her attacker, only for her face to slam into [Cutiful C] before her feet could get off the ground.

Nisa was now on the ground, her head caught in a leg lock between [Cutiful C]'s thighs as the tall brunette sat on top of her. Nisa desperately started to tap the ground, which caused [Cutiful C] to unleash her hold and get off of Nisa before returning to her side of the arena. Nisa coughed a few times before getting back onto her feet and returning back to her fighting stance.

IF's life points went down dramatically, causing her platform to erupt just as violently. The brunette held on preemptively, but the sheer force of the vibration caused her hand to slip and she fell backwards. As she laid on the ground, she saw her life points drop from 1000 to 500. IF groaned as she reached her hand out to pull herself up.

"Oh no! Iffy's losing now!", B-Sha blurted out, "N-nohohohohohooooo!"

"She's not going to be able to take another hit at this rate… C-Sha alone's gonna be enough to end it next turn!", CC2 commented.

Joker looked towards IF's platform. "Iffy…"

K-Sha began to chuckle as IF regained her footing. "I look forward to being able to play with all the new friends I'm going to get today!", she cheered.

IF grit her teeth, glaring back at K-Sha.

"Your turn, Iffy. Make it count", the schoolgirl said sternly.

IF drew her last card and looked at her hand. She scanned it over and over again with uneasy breath. She heard B-Sha's tortured laughter from below and looked down to notice that Lid now had a smile on her face as well. IF whimpered then looked across the arena at the imposing figures of [Platinum G.] and [Cutiful C]. She blinked, then her gaze lingered on the transformed C-Sha for a few moments before she finally looked down at Nisa. IF closed her eyes for a few moments, and a smile crept up onto her face. She opened her eyes and looked directly at K-Sha with an invigorated look on her face.

"You bet I will", IF smirked. She picked out a card from her hand and played it without any hesitation. "First, I summon the spell card [Life Fragment]!s", IF announced, "[V-Boomerang], return from the netherworld!"

"That weak card won't do you any good anymore. You're just stalling your turn! Just give up and accept defeat!", K-Sha shouted.

"It's not over yet! Go, [Heart of Justice]!", IF responded.

"[Heart of Justice]?", CC2 repeated.

"That card…", Joker spoke up, "...I have no idea what it does. What is going she going to do?"

"Now, [V-Boomerang]! Go straight for her!", IF ordered.

With a thumbs up, the short red minion dashed right for [Cutiful C].

"Fool! Do you think you'll be able to get away with attacking me directly when I have another card in play?!", K-Sha scoffed.

[Platinum G.] intervened in [V-Boomerang]'s path and swiftly sliced him in half with one of her high heel boots, causing him to shatter into pieces. IF's life points were lowered by 400 points, down to a mere 100 points.

"You can't keep this up anymore. Your pathetic cards won't be able to defeat me, Iffy!", K-Sha taunted.

"I have no pathetic cards, K-Sha!", IF answered, "Unlike you, I have REAL friends on my side!"

K-Sha was taken aback by that last part and clenched her teeth. "It doesn't matter. Soon enough, all of you… will be all mine!"

"Like hell we'll be. I'm putting you in your place, here and now!", IF responded, "Nisa, now!"

Suddenly, Nisa teleported behind [Platinum G.] and dunked both off her fists right onto the top of her head, shattering the woman instantly. K-Sha's life points were knocked down from 600, all the way down to 200 points.

"W-what?!", K-Sha shrieked, as her platform began to rumble.

"No way!", CC2 exclaimed.

"So it's that kind of card…", Joker spoke up.

"T-this doesn't matter! Nisa is still too weak to deal any damage to C-Sha! A-attacking her would be suicide!", K-Sha spat out.

"If it doesn't matter, then why are you stuttering?", IF smirked.

K-Sha grit her teeth and glared back at IF. "...You can't even do anything else, anyway. Nisa already attacked!"

"Did she? I didn't notice", IF shrugged.

"Don't play dumb with me. Everyone here just saw her attack Platinum", K-Sha growled.

"Oh, you mean that? Heh, that was just part of [Heart of Justice]'s special effect", IF explained.

"What?!", K-Sha responded with a panicked look on her face.

"Let me spell it out for you. [Heart of Justice] is triggered whenever a card is destroyed", IF started, "When that happens, it takes the amount of damage I took from that card getting axed off, and adds it onto the attack of another card. That card then gets a chance to counter-attack the one that destroyed my card in the first place. For free."

"I... see. However, you've seem to have miscalculated, Iffy", K-Sha responded, "C-Sha's attack power is still 100 points greater than Nisa's. She's still not strong enough to make a difference!"

"Are you sure about that?", IF responded confidently.

"...Hm?", K-Sha muttered.

"I guess I _did_ play it awhile ago", IF shrugged, "It's time to reveal my wild card!"

"Wild card? Is that like, a really crazy card?", CC2 asked Joker.

"She means a random card", Joker answered, "But could she truly be relying on mere chance...?"

IF looked down at the holographic interface in front of her, and looked at the one card that was face down. "Behold the card that will be your end!", IF shouted as she flipped it over, "I summon… [Mentor's Training]!"

"Good one. What's it really called?", K-Sha chuckled.

"You won't be laughing when you see it's effect", IF smirked, "[Mentor's Training] doubles all stat boosts I've gained this turn. I'm sure you can do the math yourself."

K-Sha fell silent and lowered her gaze down onto the field, quickly running the numbers through her head. Her eyes were hidden by her hair, and nobody was see the expression on her face.

Finally, K-Sha began to raise her head slowly. "No… no! You won't take them from me! All of them… all of you… you're all… MY friends! Mine!", K-Sha shouted. She threw her cards down and took out her gun, aiming it right at IF. "Die… die! DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!", she cried out as she began shooting. The bullets bounced off of a force field right in front of K-Sha's own platform.

"Is she crazy?! This is _her_ arena! How does she not know about her own force field?!", CC2 shouted.

"...She does", Joker commented, "She just doesn't care."

"K-Pftha… Stopff…", Lid called out weakly.

K-Sha emptied her clip and threw her gun into the ground. "Kill her. End. Her. Make. Her. SUFFER", K-Sha commanded in a serious tone. [Cutiful C] heeded her command and dashed forward.

IF had a serious look on her face as she looked across at K-Sha. "...Nisa. Let's finish this."

A burning red aura surrounded Nisa as she posed gallantly, her red scarf blowing in the non-existent wind as her opponent rapidly approached her. Once again, [Cutiful C] leaped into the air and punched a barrage of blasts from her pom-poms. Nisa leaped up into the air and used the blasts as stepping stones to approach her busty attacker.

As B-Sha observed the display, her eyes lit up. "Whoa… hahaha… That's actually really cool! Hahahaha! Awesome!", B-Sha cheered.

"This is like something out of an anime! I've got to try that!", CC2 grinned.

"You do know this is all just a simulation, right?", Lid sighed.

As Nisa soared through the air, she unleashed a devastating Justice Kick towards [Cutiful C], who responded by dodging it in mid-air in slow motion. Nisa kept on flying past C-Sha through the air, going on an on. And on. And on...

"I don't think that's supposed to happen…", CC2 grinned awkwardly.

"How tall is this place?", B-Sha laughed.

IF watched the exchange with her arms crossed and an indifferent look on her face.

[Cutiful C] landed on the ground and threw her pom-poms aside and reached behind her to somehow pull out a cartoonishly large cannon with a barrel shaped like a four-leafed clover. It began to gain energy as she aimed it up towards Nisa.

Meanwhile, Nisa reached the ceiling and crouched down on it, ready to kick off.

"What are you doing!? KILL HER ALREADY!", K-Sha demanded.

At K-Sha's command, C-Sha unleashed the devastating blast up towards Nisa. At the very same time, Nisa kicked off of the ceiling and dashed through the air, right towards the blast. She flew right into it, and continued to soar through it unaffected. Nisa's scarf rippled violently as she fell closer and closer to C-Sha. Finally, Nisa flipped in mid-air and aligned herself to again to unleash her Justice Kick. A few seconds before impact, C-Sha smiled before she was finally hit by the devastating attack.

A plume of smoke emanated from the impact, the force rippling across the arena floor and creating a crater upon the point of impact. The harsh wind caused everyone to look away and shield their eyes for a few moments before it finally settled down.

K-Sha's platform began to rumble violently. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...!"

When it subsided, everyone's eyes were on the crater. IF pushed herself up on the railing of her platform to be able to look inside.

"What's going on? I can't see!", CC2 spoke up.

"...Look", Joker pointed towards K-Sha's platform.

The holographic display above her platform bleeped all the way down to 0 before shattering like glass.

IF pushed herself up the rail of the platform to get a better look at the scene below. Within the crater, IF saw Nisa standing over a casually smiling C-Sha, with one arm stretched outwards and sideways in front of her face and her other hand in a fist. Her scarf continued to flow in the air in direct defiance of the fact that there was no wind in the room.

IF gently pushed herself away from the railings and looked across the arena at K-Sha. The schoolgirl stood in place with her arms resting at her sides, staring at the floor.

The arena dissipated, and the holographic simulation shut off. There was no crater, and Nisa and C-Sha vanished briefly before reappearing on the floor panel in front of CC2 and Joker. The stairs to IF and K-Sha's platforms vanished, and the platforms themselves lowered onto the ground, leaving the two girls behind as they seamlessly sank into the floor. The "torture" devices that were keeping hold of B-Sha and Lid stopped functioning and unleashed its grip on them. All of the lights came on, finally making the whole room visible.

"Hahaha… Hey! We're free!", B-Sha giggled.

"You can stop laughing now", Lid replied as she rubbed one of her wrists.

"Ahaha... Oh, right. I need a moment...", B-Sha wiped some of tears caused by her ceaseless laughter as she began taking deep breaths.

CC2 looked at both Nisa and C-Sha, who were looking around, confused.

"Hey, we're back. That must mean IF won!", C-Sha said with a nod.

"That's my partner! Justice must have truly been on her side!", Nisa said proudly, pumping a fist in the air.

"Boy, am I glad to see you two are alright!", CC2 called out to them.

C-Sha turned around to face the blonde and her masked companion. "Oh hi, CC. When did you get here?", C-Sha asked before glancing towards Joker, "Who's your friend?"

"Nice to meet you", Joker greeted as she took off the pink ranger mask. She reached for her butterfly mask for a moment but stopped herself before shoving her hands into her pockets.

"This here's Joker. I found her after I got, er, separated from you guys…", CC2 looked away and scratched the back of her head, "Sorry about that, by the way. Anyway, she was also kidnapped and I got her out."

"You don't need to apologize! Thanks to your reckless deeds, you actually freed someone else!", Nisa reassured.

"Hehe. Yeah, you're right!", CC2 smiled.

Joker looked between C-Sha and Nisa and saw IF approaching K-Sha. "Over there", she pointed. The three girls huddled around her turned around.

"This conversation can wait", C-Sha spoke up. Everyone else around her nodded and jogged over towards K-Sha.

* * *

Everyone in the large room now stood around K-Sha. The girl trembled in place as she stared at the ground, which caused her hair to shroud her face from view. She held something close to her chest with both hands.

IF had her arms crossed. "It's over, K-Sha. Let all the other people go", she demanded.

K-Sha started holding whatever she was holding even tighter.

Lid took a step forward. "K-Sha… what happened? You didn't used to be like this", she said.

"Oh, now you care? After you left me all alone?", K-Sha's voice trembled. She paused for a moment before continuing. "I… I had nobody after you left. I continued doing missions for the Organization. Doing whatever they told me to do without question, like we were trained to do."

"The Organiza- Mmmph?!", Joker began to interrupt, but B-Sha muffled her voice by pushing on her mask.

"I couldn't take being all alone. So I tried to pick up a hobby so I could meet new people and make some friends", K-Sha continued, "So I decided to play trading card games. I looked up the best strategies and spent all the money I earned on booster packs so I could get all the best cards. I went to conventions and online groups to test my skills, but…"

Joker pushed B-Sha's hand away from her mask. "You ended up getting kicked out of them because you ended up using cards people wanted banned. Right?"

K-Sha nodded her head slightly. "They were ultra rare and perfectly allowed, but… nobody wanted anything to do with me. So even after I went through all that trouble, I still couldn't make any friends…"

CC2 sighed. "I can't believe some people would brush someone off like that… Especially over a card game."

"That doesn't explain why you ended up trapping people inside your cards", IF said.

K-Sha continued looking at the ground. "...After getting kicked out of every fan meetup I could find, I got a new assignment from the Organization. I was supposed to track down a list of targets and bait them into a trap so I capture them and bring them into a holding facility."

"What kind of trap?", Nisa asked.

K-Sha paused for a moment and shook her head. "In hindsight, it was a silly trap. It was a black and white stuffed animal with half of its face messed up. A pig."

Nisa looked over to IF, whose face was now painted with surprise.

"...I placed the stuffed pigs wherever the targets would be guaranteed to see them. When they picked them up, the sleeping powder on them would knock them out… and that's when I'd capture them", K-Sha explained. She glanced her head slightly towards Joker. "I captured her on my last mission, two weeks ago."

"Two weeks ago? Then that means…", IF muttered before pausing.

"What's it mean?" C-Sha asked.

"...K-Sha's not the only one kidnapping people", IF said with a sigh.

"How do you know?", B-Sha said.

"I do remember IF mentioning a crazy dream about being turned into a pork by a crazy pig girl or something like that… To think it was actually real!", Nisa replied.

"No way… IF too? And there's other people getting kidnapped? Is there really a crime ring going on right under our noses? S-surely Presto Mask would've heard about this already!", B-Sha spoke up.

"Let her talk", C-Sha interrupted.

K-Sha continued speaking. "That's when I saw my chance. If I put some of those people inside my cards, then they would have to play with me, right? ...Right?"

Nobody responded.

K-Sha raised her head up, allowing everyone to see the tears streaming down her face and her hands holding her deck tightly to her chest. "Why… why does nobody want to be my friend?"

CC2 and B-Sha exchanged glances at each other. "You can't just kidnap people and expect them to be your friends!", CC2 answered, "You have to spend time with them and build a relationship with each other!"

"Yeah, but before we talk about that, we need to talk about how much you owe me", B-Sha said as she walked towards K-Sha.

Nisa looked at B-Sha with surprise, then at CC2. The blonde thief gave her a quick wink, which Nisa reciprocated with a slow nod.

"Owe you?", K-Sha sobbed.

"I'm charging you an _inconvenience fee_ for tickling me like that!" B-Sha exclaimed, pointing at K-Sha.

IF facepalmed.

"I don't have any money. I spent it all on cards and weapons", K-Sha muttered wearily.

"Well you have to pay up somehow!", B-Sha replied. She playfully held her chin for a moment in thought, then gave a thumbs up with a wink. "I know! You're gonna have to hang out with me and my friends from now on!"

"W-what?", K-Sha looked up to look at B-Sha, with a look of surprise spread across her face.

"I wouldn't mind that. If what you guys said about her having a giant robot is true, then I'd love to be able to spar against that thing sometime", C-Sha winked.

"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not like we _want_ to be your friends or anything", CC2 said with smirk.

"Yeah. She's just doing this so you don't go around kidnapping anyone else", IF nodded.

"You don't have act tsundere on her behalf, you two", Nisa smiled.

"I'm serious. You really need to stop working for that Organization", IF said as she crossed her arms.

"If you did that, I would be willing to work with you again", Lid added with a nod.

K-Sha's tearful eyes lit up and a smile crept onto her lips.

CC2 nodded in agreement. "Kidnapping doesn't suit a girl like you, anyway. You should be in school, like Joker here!"

IF uncrossed her arms and immediately turned to look at CC2. "Wait, did you just say "Joker"?" IF's eyes scanned the room and stopped at the one girl present who she didn't recognize.

Joker looked back towards IF. "It's been a long time, Iffy", she said.

Everyone's attention was now on either IF or Joker. "IF, is this a friend of yours?" Nisa asked.

"When I was kidnapped, I found a note with some riddle on it that helped me escape. It was signed by a person named "Joker"", IF replied.

K-Sha wiped her tears with her arm. "...She was in another facility, first. The last thing the Organization ordered me to do was transport her here."

Joker pushed her fists into her pockets. "As expected, my cards foretold this. I knew you would find my note."

CC2 smirked. "If only those cards were as good at giving directions…"

"So you figured out that crazy pig was lying about turning people into bacon and wrote a note to help whoever happened to randomly come across it?", IF summarized.

"...Y-yes", Joker responded awkwardly.

"That still doesn't explain how you know me", IF pressed.

Joker remained silent for a moment. "I'll show you."

She pulled her hands out of her pockets to take hold of her butterfly mask and finally pull it off. Everyone's expressions turned to shock.

"What the heck? This isn't how the climatic face reveal is supposed to go!", B-Sha blurted out.

"J-Joker, what did they do to you?", CC2 added.

"K-Sha, don't tell me you kidnapped people knowing this would happen!", Lid scolded.

"I didn't! If I did… I would've left the Organization ages ago!", K-Sha spoke up.

Nisa walked up towards Joker and started walking around her as Joker's gaze followed her. The heroine stopped and lifted one of her fingers in front of Joker's face. She raised it up, then down, left to right, behind her back, around her head, and poked Joker on the forehead. Joker lifted up her own finger and repeated everything Nisa just did, all the way down to poking the blue-haired girl on her forehead.

"I don't understand", Nisa began, "She can see and talk just fine, but her face is-"

"Gone", IF muttered, "Her face is gone."

**CHAPTER 8… The Heart of a Yandere's Cards... END.**


	9. Odd Compa-lications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After defeating K-Sha, IF and her party finally rescues Lid and meet the mysterious "Joker". But who is she really? Meanwhile, more trouble begins to stir in Planeptune...

Blank. Where there should have been eyes, a mouth and a nose, was completely blank. Joker's face looked like someone had wiped it off with some photo-editing software. All that remained were her eyebrows. Her short, red hair was a unkempt and hung down to her shoulders. Two silver hair clips managed to keep the hair on the top of her head in place.

"I'm gonna have trouble sleeping now", B-Sha whined.

IF scanned the unmasked girl before crossing her arms and closing her eyes. "Nope. I definitely don't recognize you at all", IF said, "You not having a face doesn't really help."

Joker placed her mask back onto her face and shoved her hands back into her skirt pockets. She tilted her head for a moment, then she raised it up and nodded. She took her hands out of her pocket and reached behind her back and pulled out a mask of a young brunette with short hair with a leafy green hair bow. She switched it with her butterfly mask, and placed a hand over one eye.

"With the powers of demons and the heavens themselves, I will send evil back to hell!", Joker began, changing her tone of voice.

IF uncrossed her arms and had a curious look on her face. Her eyes widened as she realized what mask Joker was wearing and the recognized the oh so familiar dialogue.

Joker continued, "I invoke the power sealed within my right hand! Come forth, La Del-"

"S-STOP! I remember now!", IF said in a panicked voice.

"Huh? What was she gonna say?", B-Sha asked.

"That sounded like something an anime character would say, but…", CC2 shrugged.

"I remember Iffy talking like that during our duel", K-Sha chuckled.

Nisa put her hands on her hips and leaned forward towards Joker. "Wait a minute, that mask kind of looks like IF!"

"I agree. It even has the same look on her face", Lid noted.

"N-no it doesn't!", IF stuttered, with the same look on her face. Her attention snapped back to Joker. "Take that thing off already!"

Joker took off the mask of the young brunette. For the moment she had her mask off, her cheeks seemed to rise. She fit the butterfly mask back onto her face and raised her head up to look at the group. IF sighed in relief.

"My name, or rather, my _true_ name, is Persona", the girl announced.

"Eh, I remember calling you 'Sona'", IF shrugged, "Way easier to say."

"Why'd you say it was 'Joker' before?", CC2 asked.

"It's an alias I use to conceal my true self", the masked schoolgirl replied. She scratched the back of her head and looked away. "...Sorry for deceiving you."

"Don't worry about it! I'm just glad you're fine!", CC2 smiled.

K-Sha placed a hand on her forehead. "Oh, that reminds me! I still have to free all of the other people", she spoke up.

IF turned around to face K-Sha. "You don't have to worry about the ones in that abandoned factory Sona and I were in. The Planeptune and Lastation guilds already sent agents to free everyone there."

"I wasn't talking about those", K-Sha said. She raised her hand up in front of her so everyone could see her deck.

"Wait. We should probably let them out after we get back to town. That would be way easier than parading them all back", C-Sha said.

"Can we go home now? My jaw hurts…", B-Sha spoke up.

"Indeed! If there is nothing else to be done here, then we should leave and alert the guild of this location!", Nisa said.

"You're going to turn me in?", K-Sha said in a stern tone.

"They'll take you in for questioning, yes", Nisa nodded.

"I have some connections. You'll be fine", Lid smiled. "Besides. This is the Organization's fault. Not yours."

K-Sha looked towards Lid and nodded. "Thank you, everyone! I need to make this up to you all. I think I know just how, too!" She started walking for the exit of the room. "Follow me!"

* * *

_Planeptune Guild, Planeptune..._

Out of the Guild's sliding doors emerged a hooded girl with clammy skin and green hair, sighing exhaustingly. She walked down the steps and began walking through the ever-so vibrant streets.

"I can't believe they freaking kept me all night to ask me questions!", the girl complained. She took out her phone protected by worn out gray casing. Despite this, the screen was cracked anyway. She logged into her bank account and closed her eyes before taking a peek at her balance. "...At least I have enough cash for a freaking cheeseburger."

She shoved her phone into her pocket and turned around a corner, continuing to walk for a few more blocks before pausing before an alleyway. A large crate sat on the ground with nobody around in sight. A glint shined in the girl's eye and a grin grew on her face. "Heh. Finders keepers."

Several minutes later, the clerk of the weapon shop emerged from one of the buildings and entered the alleyway, whistling a tune to himself. The whistling promptly stopped as he looked around the otherwise empty alleyway, the crate nowhere to be seen. "Eh, I doubt anyone would notice anyway."

* * *

_Planeptune City Outskirts_

One of the areas outside Planeptune is a park well-known for it's gorgeous cherry blossom trees and peaceful ponds. One could (usually) come here without a worry of having to deal with any monsters. Even so, these monsters don't usually go too far from their territory.

However, a certain herd of dogoos, led by a giant one with a stylish pompadour, was ready to set out and seek revenge on the girls who beat them into jelly. The laughably small army of dogoos followed their leader, who hopped valiantly towards Planeptune, causing tremors beneath them as they marched forth.

The tremors, however, were actually being caused by the giant robot that was now running through the gooey invaders. The top of the robot had a relatively flat surface, which is where IF's party was seated.

"This robot's cool and all", B-Sha shouted from atop the robot, "But I still prefer smaller ones like Bandam!"

"Eh, I think they're both pretty neat", IF shouted back. She knelt down on one knee and glanced ahead at their path.

"I'm just surprised this robot was already repaired", Lid commented.

"That's Generia for you!", B-Sha smiled as she gave Lid a thumbs up.

Persona's gaze was towards the side of the robot, taking in the view of the park. "You know, after spending a bunch of time in a cell, I think I should take the time to appreciate life's grandeur".

"Whoa, that's pretty deep", C-Sha responded.

Persona continued, "...For it matters not who you are- death awaits you."

"Aaand now it's depressing", B-Sha sighed.

"Still doing poetry, huh?", IF smirked.

The masked girl turned to IF. "It soothes the soul. You should try it sometime."

"I think I'll pass on that", IF said.

"Hey, I wanna try!", B-Sha jumped up. She cleared her throat and stood up straight. "Roses are red, cherry blossoms are pink-"

"That's not how it goes!", CC2 interrupted.

B-Sha placed her hands on her hips and pouted. "I know what I said, let me think!" She paused for a moment and her eyes lit up. "Hey, I did it!"

"I don't think rhyming things is all it takes to make a poem", IF butted in.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you try it then, Iffy?", B-Sha replied.

IF raised her eyebrows. "Me? Eh, why not." IF closed her eyes for a second before she started. "A wind, flows through the land, dancing through heaven and hell. Hearts flying across the land. Winged like a hawk, through and through. The wind will guide the hearts to land."

"What", B-Sha said with a blank look on her face.

"She's probably using metaphors or something", C-Sha replied.

"I see. Poems are the reflections of the heart, you know", Persona answered.

"So if we can figure out what IF's poem means, we get to know what she's thinking?", CC2 asked.

Persona shrugged. "Sure, why not."

"Does that mean you want to fly, Iffy?", B-Sha asked.

IF crossed her arms. "Don't take it so seriously. I just said some random words off the top of my head."

"Wouldn't that mean it's true, then?", C-Sha smirked.

Nisa turned around and walked over from the front of the robot. "You should be more honest about your feelings, IF!", Nisa said.

"I _just_ said they were random", IF sighed. "How about _you_ give it a try, then?"

Nisa smiled. "With Pleasure!", she replied. She raised her right hand in front of her lackluster chest and curled it into the fist. "Love, Bravery and Justice! For the people you care for! To inspire the weak! To vanquish all evil, within our nation! To deliver the world from devasta-"

"That's not a poem! That's a Saturday morning intro speech!", B-Sha interrupted.

Nisa gave her a thumbs up. "As long as it demonstrates the Justice that burns within my heart, I'll accept that as a compliment!" The two girls began to go back and forth about what heroic poetry actually sounds like.

"So energetic… are they always like this?", Lid asked.

IF uncrossed her arms and shrugged. "As far as I've seen? Yeah." She turned her gaze to CC2. It took the blonde thief a few moments to realize IF was looking at her and was startled into biting her tongue. She covered her mouth and turned away.

"...My condolences", Lid replied.

"It's not all bad. There's never really a dull moment around Nisa, at least", IF smiled.

"Good thing you're around to be the voice of reason then, huh?", C-Sha said.

"Sometimes I wonder who's training who…", IF sighed. She turned her attention to Persona. "What have you been up to after all these years?"

Persona turned towards IF. "I've been living the life of a normal school girl, of course...That is, until fate intervened, of course."

"Fate?", C-Sha repeated.

The masked girl nodded. "Yes. It was a day like any other. Then suddenly, demons appeared and-"

"O-on second thought, maybe you could tell me another time!", IF smiled nervously.

C-Sha turned her attention towards IF. "Why'd you stop her? That sounded like it was gonna be pretty cool."

IF looked back at C-Sha with a surprised look on her face. "You thought… that was cool?"

CC2 walked back, wiping her mouth. "Of course that sounds cool!", she smiled. She turned her attention towards Persona. IF looked at C-Sha and CC2 in disbelief, then sighed in relief.

"So, what happened next? You beat up those demons, right?", CC2 asked.

Persona shook her head. "I talked them into leaving us alone."

"What? Is that really all it took?", C-Sha asked.

"Yes. Then I took a nap", Joker continued.

IF crossed her arms. "Wait. You just convinced some demons to stop attacking your school, then the first thing you did next was take a nap?"

"Of course. Don't you feel much more alive after taking a nap?", Joker replied.

IF shrugged. "I just drink coffee whenever I feel tired."

"I totally get what you mean! Though I'd just fall asleep because I'd get bored, hehe…", CC2 grinned.

Persona cleared her throat. "Anyway, when I fell asleep, I had a dream, and an outlandish man gave me the powers to reach my destiny." She pulled out her big blue book and showed it to the three girls listening to her.

C-Sha raised an eyebrow. "A book?"

"She used some cards from that book to cast spells earlier", CC2 said. "I guess that's one way to fight!"

IF crossed her arms. "A schoolgirl with magic cards, huh? Why does _that_ sound familiar?" IF looked down towards the cockpit towards the front of the robot.

"That does sound a lot like K-Sha", C-Sha commented.

"Oh, yeah!", CC2 said, "Maybe you two could hang out sometime!"

Joker put her book away and shrugged.

Suddenly, the robot shook and caused everyone to stumble and crouch down to maintain their footing. The cockpit in the front opened up and K-Sha climbed out. "We're here!"

B-Sha pushed herself up and patted down her dress. "Give us a warning before you do that, will you?!"

K-Sha brought the tips of her fingers together in front of her chest. "Sorry!", she replied. "Watch your step on the way down!"

One by one, everyone started climbing down the robot, some leaping down as soon as they were halfway done. After making sure everyone was down, the robot dissolved into holographic cubes.

"If we're ready now, we should bring Persona and K-Sha back to the Basilicom", Nisa announced.

IF gave K-Sha a stern look. "You better not forget to let all those people out."

K-Sha gave IF a peaceful look. "Don't worry. I have no reason to keep them anymore."

"If that's settled, let's get over there. This is some pretty serious stuff, so we should get the Guild to investigate it ASAP", C-Sha said in a commanding tone. After a unanimous agreement, the group continued into the city on foot. Their brief journey to the guild building was uneventful, save for Nisa and B-Sha continuing their discussion along with Persona in the back of the group until they finally arrived before the steps of the guild.

"K-Sha and Sona have to go in, right?", CC2 said.

C-Sha stepped forth ahead of the group. "Me too. After all, I was guarding that place."

Nisa nodded. "I should go too. I noticed some things were off about you during our fight, so I think that info would be pretty useful", she said.

"Wow, that actually sounds like a good idea", IF smirked.

"Do not confuse enthusiasm for foolishness!", Nisa replied, "Even hot headed shonen protagonists can get it together when they have to!"

B-Sha yawned, then held her jaw. "I think I'll hang around inside for a bit, too. I need a nap after all that laughing…"

CC2 grinned. "That leaves me time to grab something to eat!"

Lid placed two fingers onto one of her ears and nodded a few times. "Understood. I'll be back by the time you're all done being questioned", she announced to the group.

IF looked around the group with a worried look on her face. "Wait a minute. Are we all splitting up now?"

"Hm? Yeah, looks like it", C-Sha responded.

Nisa turned to look at IF. "This was a long day, so just go ahead and take some time for yourself, IF!"

IF closed her eyes for a moment. "Time for myself, eh? I don't see why not. Just give me a call whenever you're ready to meet up again."

Nisa nodded at her partner before everyone began going their separate ways. IF walked towards her bike and climbed onto it, revving it up a few times before shooting off. As IF left, a shadowy figure with gray eyes looked on as the brunette rode away...

* * *

The evening rush was in full swing, complete with people, traffic, and people angry at the traffic. Drivers looked on in envy at the pedestrians walking around freely, enjoying the rest of their day as the beautiful sounds of horns and shouting filled the air. It was almost as if the traffic wasn't moving at all. IF didn't notice how long she had been there until her stomach grumbled and her phone's battery died, prompting her to look up from her device and rub her neck.

"This is ridiculous! Was there some big accident or something?", IF thought to herself. She looked behind her and backed up between the cars, stopping to turn around a corner and riding off another through another route.

Up ahead at the front of the traffic, several cars were dogpiled onto each other. The fire department and several ambulances were on the scene, helping people out and assisting the mildly inconvenienced drivers who were stuck. "Mildly inconvenienced", as they seemed to be just fine with lining up for a ride in an ambulance. One such driver was being questioned by a pair of... energetic... young girls.

"Sir, could you please describe how this all happened?", the blonde girl asked. She held out a notepad with a pen at the ready, carrying a rather square teddy bear under her arm.

The orange haired girl nudged the blonde aside. "This is my scoop, _Dengekiko_!", she grumbled. She then turned to the man again with her own notepad and pen in her comically gloved grasp. "Now sir, would you please explain the situation to _me_?"

The blonde nudged the other girl back. "I got here first, _Famitsu_!", she grumbled back. The two girls grit their teeth as they glared at each other. The man scratched his head and shrugged.

"Well, er… there was this girl crossing the street, right? She's wearing this really cute nurse outfit, and it was really tight… so you got to see how huge her knockers were!", the guy grinned and chuckled to himself. He seemed to gaze at nothing, completely lost in his own dreamland. The two reporters looked at each other with a look of disbelief.

"I got this idea, see… if she's a nurse, then maybe if I got hurt, she'd take care of me in the hospital! I think some other guys got the same idea, and well…", the man looked over at the piled up cars.

Dengekiko had an annoyed look on her face. "Wow. There are so many problems with that plan."

The man looked at them both in surprise. "Hey, you'd get it too if you had just seen here! As a matter of fact, I managed to snag a hot pic of her, too!" The man took his phone out and showed the two girls the photo. Their eyes lit up in awe.

"T-that angle!", Dengekiko commented, "It's so close to seeing up her legs, without being too risque!"

"And the pose! It's so innocent, yet still sexy!", Famitsu added.

"This is the perfect story!", the two girls said together. They instantly snapped their attention back to one another and glared.

"Wait a minute, you're reporters, aren't you?!" the man said, "No way I'm gonna give you this pic! If you do that, everyone else is gonna try to get to her, too!" The two girls looked at the man again.

"Well, I guess we could just run the story without it", Dengekiko said with a pout.

"I can see it now: "Man Causes Gridlock in Planeptune to Take Picture of Nurse"!", Famitsu smirked.

"W-wait a sec! You can't do that!", the man said with a worried expression on his face, "If people found out I caused all this traffic, it'd be a nightmare!"

"Well, we don't have a choice. We have to report what happened, and without any more material, this is the only way we could report this", Dengekiko shrugged, putting her notepad away.

The man sighed. "Damn it… fine, you can have the pic! Just make sure you don't use my name!"

After sending the image to their phones, the man sighed and gleefully entered one of the ambulances. The two journalists nodded in approval at the image they had received.

"Everyone's going to love my article! This is just the icing on the cake!", Famitsu declared with a confident look on her face, closing her eyes as she smiled gleefully. "Sorry to leave so suddenly Dengekiko, but I have an article to…" She opened her eyes, only to find that Dengekiko was already running away. "Hey, no fair!"

* * *

IF took a seat in a food court in a wireless charging area. It was, by all means, no different from the rest of the food court, other than most of the people sitting in this area being robots. With a smile on her face, IF dialed a number and waited a few moments before finally being greeted with a cute "Heya, Iffy!"

IF leaned back in her seat and smiled. "Hey, Compa! I've got some free time right now, wanna get something to eat?"

"Oh, I'd love to! But I can't right now… There was a big accident, so I had to back and help out at the hospital!", Compa responded.

IF sighed and her face fell to a more neutral expression. "I figured something like that happened. I was stuck in traffic for a while earlier. I had to go some other way because it wouldn't move at all." The brunette looked around the food court and scanned the available restaurants. Her stomach grumbled as if it could see the restaurants itself.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Iffy… you're not forgetting to eat again, are you? You can't forget to eat your food if you want to grow big and healthy!"

"I don't think I'll be growing much more than this, Compa", IF replied.

"Well, it worked for me! Maybe you're just a late bloomer?", Compa said.

IF tilted her head for a second, then shrugged. "Eh, I guess it doesn't matter now."

An angry, muffled voice could be heard in the background on Compa's end. Compa's voice sounded further away for a moment, replying to the other voice. "Oh, sorry Iffy! The mean head nurse lady says I need to quit fooling around and get back to work. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Yeah, okay! See you… later." The call ended and IF sighed. Her stomach roared at her once more and she clenched it. She checked the charge on her phone before getting up and walking towards one of the restaurants to get a quick bite.

* * *

Over at the guild, things seemed to be slowing down as the sun set. Some adventurers called it quits for the day and left, while more persistent ones stayed behind to get another quest or two done. On one of the tables sat B-Sha, who was resting her head on it for a nap. Next to her was CC2 reading a comic- or rather, _manga_ \- and on the opposite side was Nisa, reading through the news online on a holographic display projected by the table.

A new article showed up in Nisa's feed. She selected it and was greeted with the headline: "Local Nurse Causes Planeptune Gridlock (Exclusive Photos Within!)". She opened it up and was greeted with a rather risky shot of the nurse in said article. The author was credited was uncredited.

"Should they really be posting this? This seems like a bit much…", Nisa muttered. She looked at the source name of the image. "Sir, eh? I think I'll have to pay Mr. Sir a visit and teach him a thing or two about a maiden's privacy!"

CC2 looked up from what she was reading. "Hm? What are you talking about?"

Nisa touched the hologram and it flipped around so CC2 could see it. The blonde thief put her book down and read through the article.

"So, let me get this straight. A cute nurse crossed the street, then all these people crashed on purpose for a chance to see her in the hospital?", CC2 muttered.

Nisa nodded.

CC2 looked at the article again, then looked at the picture of the nurse. "Couldn't they just ask her out for dinner or something instead?"

"Perhaps they're the same people who complain online about being friendzoned, despite never having asked a girl out at all!", Nisa said with a confident tone.

"If you say so...", CC2 yawned and stretched her arms out. She looked around the guild, seeing that it was emptying out as the day was closing out. "Shouldn't they be done by now?"

Nisa shrugged. "Perhaps we should wait for them to contact us when they're finished, then. I think we've done all we can for today!"

CC2 nodded, then gave B-Sha a few head pats to wake her up. "Mmm… get back here... Cha...", she grumbled before she suddenly lifted her head up. She looked around the room, now wide awake. "What's going on? Bad guys? I'll get Presto Mask!", she said quickly.

Nisa smiled at B-Sha. "That won't be necessary! We're just going to head out for the day, since it doesn't seem like they'll be finished questioning anytime soon."

B-Sha pouted. "I could've just gone home and built new figures! Oh well, I guess I still have time for that today if I hurry home now."

CC2 and B-Sha got up from their seats and started walking for the exit. "We'll see you around, Nisa!", CC2 grinned. As they left, CC2 looked to B-Sha. "Keep your phone on, alright? C-Sha's gonna try to call you when they get out!"

"Thank you for all the help!" Nisa stood up and smiled at the pair of blondes as they exited through the guild's sliding doors. She turned around and took one last look at the article on the holographic display hovering over the table before swiping it away. Nisa took off her backpack and pulled out her phone, dialing IF's number.

IF answered after only one ring. "Hey, Nisa. Are they done yet?"

"They haven't! We're splitting up for now and will come back once they contact us", Nisa replied.

IF sighed. "I figured as much. Hey, did you hear about this big traffic jam?"

"I did! Apparently there was a big accident caused by some people who were… er, distracted, by a girl in a nurse's outfit!", Nisa explained.

"Wait, what?", IF blurted out.

"Do you know anything about that?", Nisa asked.

"Well, I was stuck in the traffic earlier, and my friend Compa's a nurse." IF muttered.

"Do you think there's a connection?", Nisa replied.

"Connection? Oh come on, Compa's not the only nurse in the city!", IF coughed out.

"Well, we could at least narrow it down! Would you say your friend Compa is cute enough to be distracting?", Nisa asked.

"W-well, she's… I mean, I guess so…", IF replied nervously.

"You guess?", Nisa said confused.

"Well, she's… bigger than I am. She was always pretty popular with guys, but she's way too oblivious to all of it", IF said. Her eyes widened in realization right after saying that. "Nisa, I'm going to the hospital."

"On your bike? There's no way you'll make it through the traffic!", Nisa commented.

"I'll just run over on foot then!", IF answered quickly.

"I'll be right behind you, IF!", Nisa shouted.

A cry of pain could be heard on IF's side. "I can hear you JUST FINE when you're not screaming, you know."

"Hehe, sorry", Nisa chuckled before the call ended. She put her phone back into her backpack and swung it onto her back before running out the guild. As Nisa ran onto the streets and away from the guild, a pair of gray eyes followed her from within some brushes...

IF quickly pounded the pavement through the street-light illuminated nightlife, evading pedestrians as if passing through an obstacle course as she rushed over to the hospital. She dialed Compa's number on her way there, but it went straight to voicemail. She sucked her teeth and turned a corner.

Her mind wandered as her body seemed to move on its own towards her destination. A memory played back in her head of a time when she was visiting Compa during one of her breaks in the hospital. She remembered waiting in the lobby outside of the head nurse's office as she heard Compa geting chewed out. "One more "ouchy" and you're done! We're losing more money than we're making with you here!"

IF frowned as she hit a stop light. She stood halfway down the block and looked down the street for when the light ahead turned red, then bolted out as soon as it did. The cars that weren't ready to stop yet skid as they were forced to hit their breaks at IF's sudden appearance. IF slid over one of the car's hoods and landed onto the other sidewalk.

She continued to run, the sounds of honking horns and angry drivers becoming muffled by the distance she was making between them. Her mind wandered once more and she grit her teeth. Another memory resurfaced, this time of just IF and Compa at a shopping center.

She remembered telling Compa about her meeting with Nisa and how she was going to be her "mentor" now. She remembered the tired smile on Compa's face. The tired smile she was still able to give after several extended shifts. A tired smile of genuine happiness. A tired smile she had to protect.

The brunette was brought back to her senses when they were assaulted by the sounds of blaring sirens and the sight of disorienting red and blue lights. She looked up, and before her was the towering main hospital building. IF couldn't help but imagine rain and a bolt of lightning striking the top before running inside.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nisa was also dashing through the city towards the hospital. However, on her way there, she spotted someone shady and couldn't help but see what they were up to. The heroine dove into a bush and jumped from bush to bush as she followed the hooded person into an alleyway.

"Stop right there!", Nisa called out.

The hooded person turned around to reveal a girl with purple-gray skin, green hair and red eyes. She sized up Nisa with an annoyed look on her face. "Who the heck are you?"

Nisa took a moment to size the other girl up herself. "Why, I'm Nisa! Gamindustri's very own Keeper of Justice!"

"You've gotta be friggin' kidding me…", Underling muttered.

Nisa scanned the alleyway around the girl. When Nisa turned her head to look behind herself, the hooded girl took the chance to kick a box behind a dumpster. Nisa heard the noise and snapped her attention back to her.

Nisa squinted. "What was that?"

"Wh-what was what? I didn't hear anything!", Underling stuttered.

Nisa raised an eyebrow, unconvinced by the hooligan's deflection. Underling gulped, then knocked over the dumpster before making a run for it. Nisa immediately gave chase to the hooligan, skipping onto the dumpster and diving onto the girl before she could get far. Underling struggled to push the energetic girl off of her by trying to elbow the girl on top of herself and wiggle free.

"G-get off of me! I didn't do nothin'!", Underling complained.

"You seem awfully nervous for someone who didn't do anything!", Nisa replied, trying to keep the girl beneath her under control. She winced as she was hit a few times by her elbows.

The hooded girl groaned and gave up trying to get away. "Damn it, I have rights! I'm just trying to make a living here!"

Nisa loosened her grip a bit, and re-positioned herself so that she had one knee on the girl's back, and held one of her arms behind her back. "And how were you doing that?"

Underling paused for a moment before answering. "I found this crate of weapons, okay? It was just lying there! I really needed some cash to pay rent this month, so I thought I could make a quick buck if I sold them on the down low!"

"To who?", Nisa asked.

Underling groaned. "Why the hell would I tell you that?!"

"Good point. I'll have to bring you in for questioning, then!", Nisa replied.

Underling's eyes widened. "W-wait! I'll talk!", she blurted out.

Before Nisa _pressed_ her further, the sounds of people shouting caught their attention. They looked up towards the end of the alleyway and saw a crowd of people marching down the streets with an assortment of weapons in hand. Underling stretched her free arm out to try to reach for something.

One girl in the crowd shouted into a megaphone, "What do we want?!" The person was promptly answered by the crowd. "Purple Heart!"

Megaphone girl continued, "When do we want her?!"

"NOW!"

Nisa was then struck square in the face. She let go of the thuggish girl to grasp her own face, only to find herself flying through the air and hitting the ground a moment later. Groaning, she leaned forward and was able to see Underling run off with a pipe in her hand, disappearing into the crowd before her vision began to blur. The sound of footsteps clacking filled her ears before she finally blacked out…

**CHAPTER 9… Odd Compa-lications... END.**


	10. Compile Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF rushes against the clock to save Compa's job, and Nisa is left to an unknown party in an alleyway.

The sun hovered over buildings as it flirted with the horizon, bleeding into the night. Ambulances raced through the streets, their sirens assaulting the senses of any pedestrians and drivers who were unfortunate enough to be nearby. The ambulances lined up and poured out their "wounded" passengers, who were then being hurried into the Emergency Room for treatment. Within that busy area was IF, tapping her feet feverishly as she waited for the elevator.

When the elevator door finally slid open, a stretcher and some doctors pushed their way in and filled the elevator. IF sucked her teeth and looked around for another elevator. Her sights locked onto a door to the stairwell, and she quickly walked up to it and pushed her way inside.

IF sighed. "Why does it have to be on the _tenth_ floor?"

* * *

_Unnamed alleyway, Planeptune_

Nisa's eyes fluttered open as she regained consciousness. The sound of someone's voice filled her ears...

"W...e ...up!"

"Ngh… Spike…?"

"Wake up, already!"

After blinking a few times and rubbing her eyes, Nisa sat up on the ground to find a pair of gray eyes staring right back at her, a mere inch away from her face. "Whoa! Going right for the sugar! Hot!", the owner of the eyes said, "No need to rush! We've got all night, baby!"

Nisa's eyes grew wide in surprise and she slid herself back, away from the person in front of her. She felt her cheeks flush as they turned almost as red as the hair of the girl squatting in front of her. Her hair was completely red, save for a stripe of white going along one of her bangs. Some of it was tied on one side, forming what looked to be the shape of an "R" on her left side. Her red hair matched her red and gray outfit, red sleeves, and red footwear. A golden dragon was also coiled around her waist.

Nisa blinked a few times and shook her head to collect herself. "Who… are you?"

"I'm RED!", the girl winked.

"Red?"

"No, not 'Red'! 'RED'!"

"...If you say so!", Nisa smiled awkwardly. She pushed herself up and rose to her feet, being shadowed by RED, who rose up from her squatting position. "What are you doing in this alleyway, anyway?"

RED gave Nisa another wink and pointed at her with confidence. "Because I sensed a potential wifey, of course! Don't worry, I don't mind that you don't have a set of knockers!"

Nisa closed her eyes and her eyebrows twitched furiously. She clenched her fist and her eyes shot open. "I'll have you know that…!" Her eyes eased up when she looked past RED towards the end of the alleyway.

"That's right! The mob!", Nisa exclaimed, "Excuse me, RED! I, Nisa, Keeper of Justice, am needed elsewhere!"

And with that, Nisa ran off into the streets to follow the angry mob. Well, she would have, if it weren't for RED grabbing onto her scarf before she was able to even leave the alleyway. "Yoink!"

Nisa was yanked back and coughed as she felt her scarf being pulled into her neck. "H-hey! Let go of that!"

"No way! I'm not gonna let a wifey slip away that easily!", RED replied, a smile of determination painted across her face. Nisa backed up towards RED to create some slack in her scarf so she could breathe.

"A 'wifey'? ...I have no time to play house with you right now! Someone started an angry mob and I have to go help!", Nisa pleaded.

"Angry… mob? ...Who cares about that right now? We'll have plenty of time to talk about it over dinner!", RED nodded.

"D-dinner? Listen, I have no problem with girls getting together, but I'm not interested! How about… I introduce you to someone else!", Nisa said.

Something seemed to click in RED's head. "My, a wifey exchange? Not my thing, but this could lead to an upgrade… I'm listening."

"Here's my number… just give me a call later and I'll arrange for a meeting with another potential waifu!", Nisa said as she handed RED a piece of paper from her backpack.

RED took the paper with hesitation and looked over the number herself. "Alright… but remember! I call dibs on her! That wifey is _mine_ now!"

"Yes, of course! Now would you please let me go now?", Nisa said impatiently with a forced smile.

RED's smile somehow grew even bigger. "Alright! That's one wifey for me! Now, I'm off to find more wifeys in this fanfic!", she said cheerfully. RED finally let go of Nisa's scarf and ran off in the opposite direction of the mob, leaving Nisa alone in the alleyway.

"There goes the fourth wall...", Nisa smiled worriedly. She turned around and faced the direction of the mob. "...Sorry, IF", she muttered before running off.

* * *

_Planeptune Central Hospital, 9th Floor_

Panting echoed throughout the stairwell as IF reached the end of her climb. She was completely out of breath by the time she finally reached the tenth floor. So much, that she had to hold onto the rail so she didn't collapse just then and there. Her body felt too heavy to carry itself much further. She exited the stairwell and stepped into the 10th floor hallway, leaning onto the wall as she slowly crept towards her destination.

IF regained some of her energy and was able to pick up the pace, pushing off of the wall to walk at a somewhat normal pace. Sweat slid down her forehead as she approached the door with a sign that read "Director" on it. She stopped when she was right in front of it, and took a deep breath. "It's now or never!"

IF grabbed hold of the door knob and slammed the door open. "Stop! Compa's innoce- huh?"

"Huh? Iffy? What are you doing here?", Compa responded.

"Er… I was…", IF stammered, "Wait, you're not in trouble?"

" _Trouble_? Why would she be in trouble? ...Oh, you mean that article", the director stood up from his chair with a smirk and walked around his desk to stand next to Compa, "Do you have any idea much hospital bills go for? Thanks to Nurse Compa, we're rolling in it! I'll be able to buy my son another yacht thanks to this incident. We were actually just discussing her _raise_."

IF looked on in disbelief. "But I heard her boss threatening to fire her!", IF spoke up.

"What, that grumpy lady? She doesn't sign the paychecks, girl!", the director snickered.

"I'm glad you were this worried about me, Iffy, but I'm A-OK!", Compa smiled.

"Yeah, no. Mr. Director, she's getting way too overworked!", IF began, "She's been working overtime non-stop!"

The director crossed his arms. "I see. Nurse Compa, is this true?", he asked.

Compa turned to face him and nodded. "I do wish I had more time to myself, but I can't complain!", she smiled.

The director mumbled something to himself, then spoke up so the two girls could hear him. "Well then, I'd say you've earned yourself a vacation by now!"

"Huh? Do you really mean it, Mr. Director?", Compa asked.

"Why, of course! At this rate, we might as well be printing money! Don't tell anyone I said that, of course!", the director chuckled.

"If you say so!", Compa smiled, then turned to IF, "Let's go then, Iffy!"

* * *

After they exited to the hallway, IF took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Compa. I really thought you were gonna get fired."

Compa nodded. "That would've been really bad, huh. Good thing Mr. Director is nice to girls!"

"That aside, it's great that you finally have some time off. You've really been slaving away here, lately", IF shrugged.

"I'm gonna miss patching up people's wounds, though. All the guinea pigs I could've had…", Compa's eyes shined.

"You seem a _bit_ too excited about that part", IF smirked. "Oh, hold on. I've got to let someone know everything's fine", she said as she took out her phone.

"Oh, you mean your new 'mentor'?", Compa asked.

"Yeah, Nisa said she was on her way here. I better tell her not to rush", IF replied. She dialed Nisa's number and after a few rings, was greeted by Nisa's voice with muffled shouting in the background.

"IF! SORRY, BUT I HAD TO MAKE A DETOUR!" Nisa's voice blasted through IF's speaker.

"What the HELL, Nisa? I would've been death in one ear if I weren't using the speaker instead!", IF barked.

"Sorry, it's just that it's really loud here! IF, someone gave weapons to protesters and now they're headed for the Basilicom! I need your help containing them!", Nisa explained, a hint of panic in her tone.

"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down. You want me to go help you stop a bunch of protesters? We can't exactly just fight them. Besides, the Basilicom has its own guards for this kind of stuff", IF replied.

"Not fight them! We have to convince them to lay down their arms!", Nisa exclaimed.

"That's crazy! There's no way they'd listen to a random pair of girls telling them to give up!", IF blurted out.

Nisa paused for a moment. "It's our duty to maintain Peace and Justice in Gamindustri! Things could get bad here, so I'm going to go ahead and try to get them to calm down! I'm currently on Retro Street and Emerald Avenue!" The line cut off after after that.

"Nisa wai- damn it!", IF sighed before putting her phone away.

"Iffy, wasn't she on her way here?" Compa spoke up.

IF nodded. "When I told her I was coming to the hospital, she said she was gonna come, too."

"Shouldn't you do the same for her then? She went out of her way to try to help you", Compa said with a smile.

IF winced. "Fine, fine! I'm just annoyed I have to leave now that we finally have time to hang out."

"Hey, I could come!", Compa suggested, "I may not look like it, but I can defend myself just fine!" As she said that, she pulled out an oversized syringe and held it at the ready.

"R-right! Just watch where you're aiming that thing, alright? Ideally, you won't have to defend yourself at all", IF said warily.

Compa gave a thumbs up. "Aye aye!"

IF gave one final sigh before they set off. "I can't believe we're doing this…"

* * *

The street was lit by streetlights and storefronts, providing good visibility for the protesters marching through the streets. The protest caused traffic to be backed up even worse than before, with vehicles everywhere being completely unable to move an inch at this point. When you ignored the sounds of the horns honking and the screams of colorful language, it almost seemed like a painting.

From above, it was like a bunch of metal ants surrounding a group of smaller ants. One such ant was blue, and weaved its way through the stream towards the front. Nisa found herself getting walled several times and had to shove her way through until she was finally near the front. She leapt out in front of the crowd and ran forward a few paces before raising her palm up to try to stop the crowd.

"Fair citizens! There are better ways to go about this! Cease this quest for anarchy at once!", she called out.

Nisa's request went about as well as you'd expect. Her words didn't even have the chance to fall on death ears- they were drowned out by the crowd's chanting. Chanting, which grew closer and closer to the heroine until it enveloped her and kept going forward, drowning the girl herself in the small stream of people.

Luckily, you can't _actually_ drown in a stream of people. Nisa was merely being bypassed by the group of armed protesters. A normal person would probably be disheartened by this. But Nisa was no normal person. She ran through the crowd once more and stood in front of them with her arms stretched out as if she were trying to give the air a hug.

"Halt in the name of love! Violence is not the answer here!", she shouted.

Once again, she was ignored. But Nisa was not discouraged. She knew that the way to beat ignorance was with persistence, understanding, and reason. She was prepared to keep at this all night long. With her AAA energy, she very well could.

"Think about this!"

"Lay down your arms!"

"We can talk about this!"

Further behind the group, IF and Compa were just about catching up. When they reached the back, IF looked around. "I don't see her. Stay close!", she said to Compa. Compa nodded, and they both dived into the crowd. After a few minutes, they made their way to the front and found Nisa walking backwards, continuing her faulty attempts to persuade the crowd. IF sprinted up towards her.

"Nisa!", she called out.

"IF! I'm glad you could make it! Maybe these people will listen to me now!", Nisa smiled.

IF turned around, finding nothing but the approaching crowd. "Huh? Where's Compa?"

A look of concern spread across Nisa's face. "Compa?"

"Iffy, help!", Compa called out. When IF and Nisa caught sight of her, she was, somehow, drowning in a sea of people.

"She's my friend!", IF responded, "We have to stop this crowd!"

"I was trying to do that before you got here, but I've had no luck so far…", Nisa said with a wary tone.

"Let me give it a try, then!", IF said.

She turned to face the crowd and took out her gun, firing it into the air several times before stopping. To this, the crowd finally halted. A moment afterwards, Compa came stumbling out. She walked up towards the flat pair with her hand on her forehead. "Phew… that was scary..."

IF sighed. "Compa, you really need to be more careful."

Someone with a megaphone called out to the trio. "What the hell do you want? Get out of our way!"

Nisa spoke up to the crowd. "Citizens! Tell us what ails you!"

The megaphone voice boomed once more. "We just want to see Lady Purple Heart! How're we supposed to believe in a Goddess we can't see?!"

"Um… can I say something?", Compa asked.

"Spit it out, tits! We've got a Basilicom to destroy!", the megaphone boomed.

Compa stepped forward to address the crowd. Whispers could be heard being exchanged among them before she began to speak.

"I know… life can get hard. About how hopeless things can seem sometimes. I've had to skip out on hanging out with my bestest friend to work several shifts at a time. It gets… hard to believe that there's a Goddess out there who's supposed to make good things happen for us. But you have to believe good things can still happen! In the hope our Goddess gives us with her actions! I know you can't see them, but… just look around you! Our city is here because of her! And it's all thanks to our faith in the first place… but without faith, it's like she doesn't exist at all! So please, believe in the Goddesses! In Purple Heart! ...In hope!"

Everyone remained quiet as Compa spoke. The silence persisted for a few painfully long moments after she finished, until it was broken by a voice in the crowd. "You know what? This is crazy. Storm the Basilicom? What were we thinking? To hell with this, I'm going home." A clang could be heard, and a young man could be seen walking away from the crowd.

Another person spoke up as well. "Yeah… maybe things aren't so bad."

"You guys are leaving? Well, no point staying here, then…", another man said.

"What? Where are you going? Get back here, you freaking idiots!"

People began to chatter among themselves, and soon, more clanging could be heard and the crowd began to dissipate. Soon, all that was left was IF, Compa, Nisa, a bunch of weapons lying around, and a girl with a megaphone standing among them.

"Damn minions! I'm here for the riot, dammit! Riot! Raaagh!", the girl growled. She slammed her megaphone into the ground and stormed off.

"She seems like the kind of person who would be extremely toxic online", Nisa commented.

"I'll say…", IF shrugged. She turned to face Compa. "Compa, that was amazing!"

"It was no big deal. I just said what came to mind", Compa replied.

"That was truly something! I couldn't get them to even acknowledge my existence!", Nisa butted in.

Compa scanned Nisa for a moment before responding. "Oh, you must be Nisa. Nice to meet you! Thanks for taking Iffy under your wing!"

Nisa put her hands on her hips and smiled proudly. "The pleasure is all mine! IF has been an extremely reliable pupil so far!"

IF crossed her arms. "Hold on. I think by now, I deserve to be promoted to something better than 'pupil'."

"Patience, my apprentice! You still lack experience!", Nisa answered.

"I wouldn't argue with her there", Compa interjected.

"C-Compa, not you too!", IF said with a surprised look on her face. Compa smiled at her and Nisa began to chuckle.

IF shook her head. "Well, if everything here is resolved, then we should report about what happened here. We're going to need some help gathering all these weapons up."

* * *

From that point, guild officials came to assess the situation and the weapons shop workers stopped by to pick up their weapons. As Nisa and IF made their report, the subject of the identity of the culprit came up.

"She was certainly the underling of an evil mastermind!", Nisa declared, "There's no way someone such as herself could've come up with such a dastardly deed on her own!"

"Wait a minute. I think I might've run into the same girl. Green hair? Purplish gray skin? Wears a hoodie?", IF butted in.

Nisa nodded. "Exactly! Where did you meet her, IF?"

"I met her when I was kidnapped. She certainly came off as the underling type", IF shrugged.

"Kidnapped?", Compa said in a worried tone.

"Oh, don't worry about it, I got out of it fine", IF said nonchalantly, "I remember her pretty clearly. She was quick to try to backstab me when money was involved."

"Wait, you worked together before?", Nisa asked.

"Yeah. In the end, she was pretty useful. I guess she bumped into the wrong boss if she got wrapped up in all this", IF answered.

"Maybe she really needed lots and lots of money fast or something like that", Compa suggested.

IF shrugged. "Eh, who knows. We won't be finding out unless we run into her again, anyway."

"Let's keep our eyes peeled for Ms. Underling from here on out. Who knows what kinds of trouble she'll be stirring up if we don't watch out!", Nisa commented.

"Leave it to me! I have to watch patients like a hawk, so I'll find this Ms. Underling if she ever shows up!", Compa said confidently.

IF nodded. "We should call each other right away if we find her."

Nisa gave IF a thumbs up. "Good thinking! She is quite the tough cookie. I was even caught by surprise when I tried to apprehend her earlier."

The brunette sighed. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Nisa tugs at the neck of her scarf. "A-anyway, I think we should call it a night here, if we're all done here."

Compa butted in. "Wait, I have an idea! Why don't we have a sleepover!"

"A sleepover?", IF repeats.

Compa gave her a nod. "Yeah! That way we could spend time with each other again, and I could get to know Nisa better. I'll even make pudding for everyone!"

"Sure, but that's up to Nisa to decide", IF replied.

Nisa nods. "Sounds fun. I'd be happy to go to a sleepover."

"Yay! Let's all go to my apartment, then! Let's meet up by the park in an hour before we go", Compa declared.

With their meeting spot in agreement, the three separated. IF returned the shopping center to get her bike before going to her own place to get her stuff, while Nisa went to her "hideout" to get her own. After about an otherwise uneventful hour, they all met up with Compa at the park. From there, they left to go to Compa's apartment.

In the bushes, however, a certain redhead was tailing them…

**CHAPTER 10… COMPILE HOPE... END.**


	11. Don't Let the RED Bug Bite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF, Compa and Nisa have a sleepover. What could go wrong with that?

As IF's posse walked over to Compa's apartment, a certain Underling was sneaking her way back to her own. She made sure to take every dark alleyway she could to avoid being seen. At one point, she stopped and looked over her shoulder and found nothing but her own shadow.

"I just hope that broad didn't end up snitchin' on me. Oh, who am I kidding. Of course she did", Underling grumbled.

After taking the time to look around once more, she shoved her hands into her pockets and walked out of the alleyway she was in, into the street. It was a relatively lonely street with nobody outside at this time of the night. The buildings were run down, and some storefronts were boarded up. Several buildings she walked past all had signs out front that once read "For Sale" and now had stickers over them that read "Sold". Several dogs _somewhere_ barked at each other in the background and arguing could be heard from some of the apartments.

Underling walked past a few more buildings with "Sold" signs in front of them before stopping. This building, too, had a sign in front of it, however it was illegible due to someone spray-painting over it. She clutched a key in her right pocket and pulled it out before walking up to the front door of the building. The key turned naturally, allowing her to enter without a hitch.

The mailboxes were beaten and worn, and some of the apartment numbers were scratched off. The stairs creaked as Underling went up, not even bothering to even glance at the rails. She rose to the second floor and stopped at the second door, stopping for only a second that lasted a few seconds. Not wasting another second, she nudged the door open and stepped inside the apartment.

When she entered, she found a letter right in front of the door that read "URGENT" in bold. The apartment was messy and the furniture was mismatching. The kitchen was empty, save for a small pot in the sink. A black bag lied on the floor, filled with fast food wrappers and empty ramen cups. The small, beaten up sofa in the living room was her closet. None of the clothes on it seemed to in wearable condition, either due to being torn up or simply unironed. The TV had a busted antenna over it, tilted at several different angles.

Underling took her hoodie off and slipped out of her boots, leaving both of them on and next to the sofa respectively. In the corner, was a futon that was almost as flat as Nisa. The green haired not-an-elf stumbled onto it and looked up at the ceiling above her. "Well, at least I'm not freaking dead."

* * *

"...then I shot myself, but I was still alive! Next thing I knew, some claw came out of the floor and grabbed me", IF explained.

IF was in her PJ's, sitting on the carpet with Nisa and Compa in her cozy, clean apartment.

"Wh-whoa! That's pretty risky, Iffy. It would've been messy if that didn't work", Compa responded.

"M-more like she'd be on the fatty side. I must apologize, IF! I didn't believe your 'turning into pigs' story when you told me about it, but now that I'm hearing the full story, it sounds pretty real", Nisa nodded.

IF looked at Nisa. "Why would I make something like that up?"

"I thought it was one of your chunnibyou dreams or something like that!", Nisa shrugged.

"Oh piss off, Nisa", IF grumbled.

Compa giggled. "That really is just like you."

IF shifted uncomfortably. "I-isn't that pudding supposed to be ready by now?" IF blurted out.

Compa's eyes lit up. "Oh, you're right! I'll go check." Compa got up from the carpet and went off into the kitchen.

IF returned her attention to Nisa. "So what were you doing while your 'pupil' was kidnapped, anyway?"

"Well, remember when I said I had to run an errand?", Nisa began, "I sought out B-Sha and CyberCon so they could help me track down Lid. We ran into some… trouble."

"C-Sha, right?", IF replied.

"Yeah. After we retreated, that's when I went to get you. I didn't want to involve you in my own personal affairs, you see. That wasn't intended to be part of your training", Nisa explained.

"I figured as much", IF shrugged. She leaned back and looked past Nisa, at the window. She took a moment to gaze at the gusts of wind crashing against it before snapping back to reality.

"Pudding's ready!", Compa announced. She strolled back into the living room with three plates in hand, and handed one of them to IF and another to Nisa. She waited until everyone picked up their spoons before picking up her own, and they all chomped down onto it at once.

"Mmm! This tastes great, Compa!", Nisa praised, "If being a nurse doesn't work out for you, you could just open a bakery!"

"Aww, how sweet of you to say that!", Compa smiled.

IF noticed something at the corner of her eye and looked up at the window once more. Her eyes widened when she realized that it was now open. She blinked a few times and did a double take.

"Nisa, was that window behind you always open?", IF asked.

Nisa looked behind herself, at the window. "No clue! I wasn't paying attention to it. Better close it so it doesn't get chilly", she replied. Just after that, Nisa hopped to her feet and the lights went out, leaving the room completely dark.

"Eeek!", Compa shrieked.

"Relax, it's just a power outage", IF said.

"The other apartments seems to still have power", Nisa said, "Did you remember to pay your electric bill?"

"I'm pretty sure I did. Wouldn't want to sleep in the dark!", Compa answered.

"You mean with no power", IF spoke up.

"Never fear! I, Nisa, shall keep you safe from the dwellers of the night!", the heroine called out.

IF sighed, choosing not to continue that conversation. "Maybe a fuse blew out or something. I'll go flip the switch." The brunette took out her phone and used it as a flashlight to find her way to the fusebox.

"I'll look for some candles, just in case" Compa added.

"In the dark?", Nisa asked.

"Just leave it to me. I've got eagle eyes!", Compa reassured. Nisa could've sworn she saw a pair of eyes flicker in the dark, but didn't think anything of it. Compa and IF shuffled around, one more easily than the other. Suddenly, IF felt something slap her right in the forehead before she could flip the fuse switch. Two more "Ow's" could be heard within the apartment before IF could get the power back on.

She felt something on her forehead and took it off. She observed the curious item- a scroll with a crown painted on it- for a few moments before looking around for the culprit. After finding nothing, she returned to the living room to find her two companions looking over similar scrolls.

"Iffy, something creepy is going on in here…", Compa said.

"I'll say. Looks like all three of us got some stroll stuck to our heads", IF replied, "I'm curious. What does yours say? Mine just a crown on it."

Nisa tilted her head. "A crown?"

IF nodded. "Yeah, like royalty."

"Oh, oh! Mine has a dragon! Rawr!", Compa said.

"Mine is some sort of monarch. Like a king, or an emperor", Nisa said, "Let's go with emperor."

"Hm. So, what does the color red, an emperor, and a dragon all have in common?", IF asked.

"Easy! They all refer to the East!", Nisa exclaimed heroically.

"Eh, what's the East gotta do with us, anyway?", IF asked. Before Nisa could respond, IF interrupted. "Don't answer that."

Compa's eyes widened. "Wait! Does this mean there's a…", she lowered her voice, "... _ninja_ in here?"

"No, that can't be. There would be another name in this chapter's title", Nisa answered.

Suddenly, a voice could be heard coming from within the room. "My, my. How clever of you to look over there. As expected from a potential wifey!" The trio began looking around for the source of the disembodied voice.

"Eeep! It's the ninja!", Compa shrieked.

"Calm down. If it were a ninja, we'd probably already be dead", IF reassured.

"Oh, okay", Compa said, "We'd be in pretty big trouble if we did run into a ninja!"

"I hope we didn't just jinx ourselves…", Nisa sighed.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!", the voice said.

"How about we just go to sleep. It feels like it's been days since I've had a good rest", IF suggested.

"Let's!", Compa responded.

"Us maidens do need our beauty sleep…", Nisa added.

With that, they moved to get into their cozy sleeping bags. They snuggled in tight, and wished each other good night, shutting their eyes until the ceiling was out of sight. Nisa, with all her energy, couldn't find it in her to fall asleep, and laid in her sack wide awake. It didn't take long for her to notice the person hanging onto the ceiling in the corner.

Nisa blinked a few times. "...Huh?"

The next thing she knew, the person charged from the ceiling and landed on top of her. Nisa was now being pinned down, and was unable to escape. "Don't play no games with me", the person said, "you owe me a wifey!" Suddenly, a light shined upon them.

"What's with all this racket already? _Some_ of us are trying to sleep", IF scolded, flashing her phone's light at them. She paused for a moment as she saw the sight of someone pinning down Nisa. It took her a moment to process what she was looking at and piece it together with the clues- the scrolls- and react accordingly.

"I just hope you're not doing what I think you're doing", IF scolded.

Nisa's eyes widened with surprise. "Wha- of course not! This isn't what it looks like!", Nisa stammered.

"It can be!", the redhead said with a big smile. She turned around and looked towards the light.

Compa sat up and groaned. "My dream looks the same as the real world… I miss the ones with the angels and cotton candy." She turned to look towards IF, then looked at where she was shining her phone. "Oh, hello! Are you another one of Iffy's friends?"

"Whoa momma!", the redhead cheered, "I count three potential wifeys. Now it's a party!"

IF got up and turned on the light, allowing everyone in the room to lay their eyes on the redhead. IF crossed her arms. "Alright, start talking. Who are you?"

The redhead pushed off of Nisa, eliciting a cough from the flatter girl. "I'm RED! And you three", she pointed to IF, "Are my potential wifeys!"

"Come again?", IF scoffed.

"Wifeys!" You know, waifus! This IS a harem smut fanfiction, right? RED x everyone, baby!", RED smirked.

"Even if this _were_ that kind of story, it would be hard to keep track of four people at once", IF explained.

"Sorry, readers! You're not getting that story this time around", Compa said.

"Or ever", IF added, in a stern tone.

Nisa sat up, still sitting in her sleeping bag. "A-anyway, about that wifey…" she looked up towards IF with an awkward smile on her face, "I _kind of_ set you up to be her wifey."

RED's eyes lit up at the confirmation of who her wifey would be. Her attention snapped to IF.

"You did what?! Nisa, what the- oof!", IF barked, only to be interrupted by RED tackle hugging her.

"Yes! I've finally found a worthy wifey! You're such a cool one, too! This is a real catch!", RED gleamed.

IF tried to wiggle her way out of the shorter girl's clutches, uncomfortably squished against her more well endowed chest. "H-hey, let me go! I never agreed to this!"

"Too late now! You're all mine, wifey! Now, tell me your name and give me some sugar!", RED said as she looked up towards IF. She puckered her lips and started tip-toeing up to reach IF's. IF moved her head away to prevent RED from reaching her own lips.

As IF continued to dodge RED's lips, Nisa got out of her sleeping bag to stand next to Compa. Compa looked at the sight, confused.

"Wait, she wants to marry Iffy? I didn't think Iffy would want to settle down with anyone…", Compa said.

"I don't think think that's what's going on here", Nisa replied.

IF and RED continued their little struggle. "Come on, let go, RED!", IF begged.

"You saying that just makes me want to let go even less!", RED chuckled, to IF's dismay.

IF looked towards Compa and Nisa with her chin up, preventing RED from reaching her lips. "D-don't just stand there! Help me!"

Nisa bowed her head. "Sorry, IF. I did say I would introduce her to someone, so I am honor-bound by this commitment!"

"Um…", Compa said, "RED? Could you let go of Iffy, please?"

RED ceased her assault for a moment and looked towards Compa. "Only if you agree to be my wifey, too!"

A look of confusion spread across Compa's face. "You… want me to become your friend?", she said, "Sorry, but I'm saving marriage for a boy I like."

"Ew, yuck! Suit yourself", RED replied with a look of disgust on her face.

IF moved her hands up and held RED's face. "Listen, I'll be your 'wifey' or whatever if you just leave me alone, alright?"

RED's face lit up. "Alright, that's easy!", she said as she let up of IF. She took a few steps back and pointed towards IF. "Iffy, right?"

IF took a deep breath. "It's IF, actually."

"All caps, just like mine! It's like we were made for each other!", RED exclaimed.

"Wouldn't that be cute…", Nisa shrugged.

IF turned to Nisa. "Don't encourage her."

Suddenly, Compa's eyes lit up. "We should stay up later and play with RED!"

Nisa nodded. "I'm not tired, so…"

"I'll go make some hot cocoa!", Compa cheered, before moving over to the kitchen.

IF sighed at the thought of having her sleep time robbed from her as she moved to set up Compa's console. She turned around to look at Nisa and RED. "Anything in particular you want to play?"

RED nodded. "We could play 'Spin the Bottle'", she smiled as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"How about something less awkward, like 'Truth or Dare'...", Nisa suggested.

"Sure, I guess that wouldn't hurt", IF smiled.

When Compa came back, they got a bottle ready for Truth or Dare. Compa spun first, and it landed on Nisa.

"This outta be good…", IF muttered with a smirk.

"Okay Nisa, truth or dare?", Compa asked.

"Well, truth of course! How could I ever pick anything else?", Nisa replied gallantly.

"Well it'd be pretty boring if you only picked truth!", RED said.

Compa held her chin for a moment. "Hm… have you ever used those goggles on your head?"

Nisa nodded. "Why yes! Just recently I wore them in a pretty lively dungeon. Speaking of that, how did you manage to get through without going blind, IF?"

IF rubbed her eyes. "I had to cover my eyes up. I could barely see a thing back there with all those lights blinking everywhere."

"It made it really easy for me to follow you unnoticed back there!", RED said.

"W-wait, what?", IF said with a surprised look on her face.

After a moment of silence, Nisa spoke up. "W-well, let's see who's next." She spun the bottle, and it landed on Compa. When asked the titular question, Compa picked Dare.

"Hm… I dare you to recreate a superhero transformation!" Nisa said.

"Like from a kid show?", IF said, "I doubt Compa would be able to-"

"Transform! Compa-Iru-Haato! DEEEEEESU!", Compa interrupted, rising to her feet and performing a cute pose before she was enveloped by a beam of light. When the light subsided, she was holding her syringe with one hand and saluting cutely with the other.

IF closed her eyes, embarrassed. "I stand corrected."

"Oh, oh! Your turn, Compa!", RED said.

Compa nodded and spun the bottle. This time, it ended up pointing towards Compa herself. Everyone looked at Compa, who looked around in confusion. "Does this mean I ask myself?"

"Nah, just spin again", IF answered.

"Now hold on there, IF. Let's see where this goes", Nisa said, "Go ahead and ask yourself."

"Okay. Truth or dare! I pick dare. I dare myself to be BFF's with you girls!" Compa said to herself.

IF and Nisa smiled at the thought, but RED didn't look amused.

"No!", the redhead exclaimed, "I ain't getting friendzoned like that!"

"Don't waste your breath", IF muttered to herself.

RED shrugged. "Oh well. I still have my first and best wifey!"

"And who would that be, if you don't mind me asking?", Nisa replied.

"Why, wifey #1 of course! Iffy!", RED smiled as she tried to reach for IF's arm, but fell over when IF moved it away.

"IF? Wait, so after all this fuss, you only really have one wife?" Nisa said in a confused tone.

"...Ack! You're right! I need way more wifeys than this!", RED said in a panicked tone.

"I'm sure you'll find someone", Compa said, "Well, my turn again!" Compa gave the bottle yet another whirl, and this time it ended up landing on IF.

"Dare", IF said promptly.

" _Someone's_ in a rush!", Nisa commented with a smirk.

"No fair! I wanna learn about my new wifey!", RED pouted.

Compa closed her eyes and smiled at IF quietly for a moment. "I dare you to pick truth."

IF's eyes turned into O's of shock while Nisa and RED's mouths turned into C's.

"I-is that even legal?!", IF stuttered.

"Legal loopholes are still legal!", Nisa said with a thumbs up.

"Write that one down, ladies and gents!", RED cheered.

IF sighed. "Fine, fine. I pick truth."

Compa nodded. "Is is true that you don't want to be RED's wife?" To this, RED's face showed confusion as if Compa were speaking with the wrong language text on.

"Talk about direct", IF shrugged. She turned to look at RED. "It's not that I don't like you, or anything."

"Oooh, tsundere! Those are really popular right now!", RED winked.

"That's not what I meant. I mean, I barely even know you!", IF scoffed.

RED blinked a few times. "Well, that's nothing a little dating can't solve! Besides, we're at a sleepover! AMA!"

"Skipping the formalities, huh? Sure, why not?", IF shrugged.

"Tell us about yourself, RED", Nisa said to the redhead.

RED re-adjusted herself. "Well… I'm on a quest to hunt for wifeys!", she said proudly.

IF crossed her arms. "There has to be more to it than that."

"Yeah", Compa interjected, "like, why not look for a husband?"

"Blech! Icky!", RED shook her head.

"Surely that could've been handled more maturely…", Nisa muttered.

"Wifeys for lifey, and that's that!", RED said in an irritated tone, "Can't you see their beauty? Their cute smiles and smooth skin? You don't get that with boys!"

"You'd be surprised", Nisa smirked, "Nowadays, it's a surprise until you reach intimacy!"

"Speaking from experience? Or is this just one of those facts you just know for some reason?", IF said as she glanced towards Nisa.

"N-no comment! This is merely a fact of the times!", Nisa stammered.

"Nisa dates too? Wow, I wonder what kind of guy she's into…", Compa wondered out loud.

"Or maybe she also wants wifeys. I've got dibs on everyone!", RED added.

"W-well, I've got a commitment… to Justice!", Nisa stuttered.

IF smirked. "Yeah, you do come across as the asexual type."

"It's not like that at all…! I mean... wait, no!", the heroine stuttered, trying to get her way out of this confrontation.

"Hm… does that mean she doesn't want to be my wifey?", RED wondered.

Compa leaned in. "I'd think she'd like a really handsome guy who fights for truth and justice and all that… like a superhero! Or a lawyer!", Compa pointed dramatically, " Though my grandpa says lawyers are blood-sucking parasites, so maybe not a lawyer."

"I-I don't feel comfortable talking about this sort of thing!", Nisa blurted out.

"There's no need to be shy! We won't tell anyone", Compa smiled assuredly.

"Heck no! I don't wanna hear about some yucky guys!", RED complained.

IF sighed. "This is going nowhere."

Compa turned her console on. "Well, we could just play some games!"

RED's eyes gleamed with joy. "Oh, oh! I wanna play! It'll increase my proficiency stat!"

Nisa let out a quiet sigh of relief as everyone started to become distracted with the video-games. They continued to play and chat, well into the night…

* * *

Elsewhere in a not-so-clean apartment, Underling was looking through a newspaper with a pencil in hand. She skimmed through it until she reached the "Classifieds" section. She crossed out a few circled listings before crumpling up the paper and throwing it into a corner. The girl stood up and grumbled to herself as she headed for the door, picking up the letter with the word "URGENT" written on it in red, bold letters.

She yawned as she walked back over to her futon and dropped onto it. With little grace, she tore open the bulging envelope to see its contents. The first thing she noticed was a sizable amount of credits, explaining the bulge. Her eyes lit up at the sight of it and she grinned.

"Aw, yeah! Free cash!", she smiled. She noticed that there was something else inside the envelope. A letter. "Huh? Oh, I see. Figures. Well… not like I've got any other options."

She took out the letter and turned it over to see if there was anything on the back before starting to read it over. "Let's see here… oh, it's from that rich girl. Compensation, eh? Well, don't mind if I do!"

She continued reading further. "Wait, what the hell's this? She wants me to join her party?", she muttered. Underling lifted her head up and looked around her apartment. "...I guess I ain't got much left here anyway." She set the letter down and started counting the credits from the envelope. "Guess I'm finally ditching this dump."

* * *

Back at Compa's apartment, the girls were now passed out after spending hours playing video-games. Everyone was snug in their sleeping bags sleeping soundly. All save for Nisa, who had fallen asleep while playing.

IF was enjoying her rest when she turned to face the other side. She felt something was off, and opened her eyes slightly. Someone was lying next to her, but all she could see was a blur. IF rubbed her eyes and her sight became clear.

"...Back off, RED", IF muttered.

RED chuckled. "It's not wrong to sleep with my wifey, right?"

IF grumbled. "Can't you just give this 'wifey' thing a rest?"

The redhead fell silent, and after a few moments she turned away. IF closed her eyes once more, determined to fall asleep. Before she could escape into dreamland, her consciousness was pulled back by RED's voice.

"You're not the first person I've asked, you know…", RED muttered, "I've tried getting other wifeys before. But they also didn't wanna be mine! I'll… I'll get tons of wifeys!" She turned around to face IF once more and embraced her. "And when I have a bunch of wifeys of my own, I'll be able to look back and thank you… thank you for being my very first wifey!"

IF recoiled and sighed as she was now, once again, in RED's grasp. "...You're welcome."

IF gave in and let RED snuggle her until she finally went to sleep. When IF turned to check if RED was sleeping, she saw Nisa grinning, giving her a thumbs up. Nisa was promptly met with a pillow to the face.

**CHAPTER 11… Don't Let the RED Bug Bite... END.**


	12. Sporting a Disguise-- To Leanbox!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF and her party discover a curious plot to take over people's minds with sports equipment. They take on a quest to look into it, and the next chapter of their tale begins...

The day was gloomy, for a change. Dense fog filled the city, which combined with the sunlight, created a very eerie, dimly lit atmosphere. A lone shadow stood on one of the roofs, brooding heroically as their scarf flew dramatically in the nonexistent wind. The figure gazed around down upon the streets below, not really being able to see anything through the fog.

The door to the roof flew open. "What the hell are you doing? Get down from there before you fall off!", IF called out.

Nisa glanced behind herself to acknowledge IF. "Ah, good morning, IF! I was just doing my morning brood over the city!"

"Morning brood? The sun's barely up yet. This is nowhere near dramatic", IF shrugged.

"That's where you're wrong! Look around you. A dense fog suffocates Planeptune! But my burning passion for Justice will not be squandered by this force of nature! My red heart shall be the beacon to which everyone flocks to for safety! I shall guide them to the absolute truth that flat! Is! JUSTICE!", Nisa proclaimed.

"Sure, as long as this 'passion' of yours is that booming voice of yours", IF smirked.

Nisa skipped off of the ledge and started walking towards the brunette. "Point taken", she said. She looked around for a moment. "Where's RED? I'm surprised she's not clinging onto your arm right now."

"When we woke up, she was in a hurry to find more wives", IF looked away, "I don't really care what she does as long as she doesn't cause any trouble. Anyway, Compa's making breakfast, so I came to get you."

"Ah yes, the most important meal of the day. You mustn't fight crime on an empty belly!", Nisa said with a thumbs up. At that instant, Nisa's phone began to ring. She look it out and answered it with a loud "HELLO!"

An "Ow" could be heard on the other side of the line. "I should've braced myself for that", B-Sha's voice said.

IF sighed. "I swear, someone's gonna sue you for hearing loss one of these days…"

"How're you, B-Sha?", Nisa asked.

"My ears are still ringing, but I'm alright. The guild finished interrogating everyone, so it's time to head over there", B-Sha responded.

"Understood! We'll be there after breakfast!", Nisa nodded before closing her phone. She looked up towards IF and nodded. The two girls disappeared into the stairwell, leaving the rooftop alone.

* * *

B-Sha and CC2 arrived first. As they were walking inside the guild, CC2 was eating a steamed bun when she spotted a _really_ out of place box that she swore wasn't there before. She was surprised to find Lid emerge from it as if it were a complete normality.

"Whoa! You were hiding under there this whole time?", CC2 asked.

Lid cleared her throat. "...Maybe."

Suddenly, IF pulled up in front of the guild on her bike, with Compa in toe. B-Sha eyed the two up and down before asking, "Where's Nisa?"

IF pointed behind herself with her thumb, signaling B-Sha to an exhausted Nisa jogging her way over.

"F-fear not! Justice has… huff… arrived!", Nisa announced. B-Sha gave IF a questioning glance, to which IF replied with a shrug.

"Hey, she insisted", IF said. She got off of her bike and placed a hand on her hip. She used her other hand to motion towards Compa. "By the way, this is my friend, Compa. She's a nurse who can hold her own in a fight."

Compa smiled and greeted everyone with a gentle wave. "Pleasure to meet you! I may not be very strong, but I'll do my best!", she said cheerfully.

"Fighting? We're not even sure what we're dealing with here!", B-Sha responded.

"Agreed. Let's meet up with everyone inside so we can get a better grasp on the situation", Lid said.

Everyone nodded and went inside. Nisa huffed and puffed as she followed in the back. Even further behind and out of sight was RED, who of course, sensed the gathering of all the potential wifeys.

* * *

It was very early, so only the early birds were up and about within the guild, trying to get a head start on all the juicier quests before everyone else. At one of the benches, the small party noticed their three companions who had finally gotten out of questioning and moved over to greet them.

"You all look wide awake. Aren't you tired?", B-Sha asked.

C-Sha shook her head. "Nah, no big deal. It looks like we're all used to all-nighters."

"Just like the simulations. Piece of cake", K-Sha smiled.

IF crossed her arms. "Yeah, yeah. Now, tell us everything you know about this kidnapping group."

Before anyone could answer, a person in a black suit, black shades, short black hair and a white tie stepped forth. "I'll take it from here."

"And who might you be, sir?", Nisa asked.

"That's _ma'am_ to you, Ms. Nisa", the woman said in a stern tone. "My name is E, and I'm one of the officials in charge of the Planeptune guild."

"O-oh. I knew that! Haha! Of course I knew that! How could I not?", Nisa said in an awkward tone.

"Gee, you're a really terrible liar…", CC2 commented.

E cleared her throat. "I questioned the three of them and had agents check out the facility where Persona was being held. I know everything there is to know about this situation. However, this information is reserved for whoever decides to take the quest to look into these links."

"An intel gathering mission? ...Eh, as much as I want to do something about all this, I'll have to pass", CC2 said, "That's totally not my forte!"

"In that case, I guess I have to pass too...", B-Sha said.

"Hey, that sounds like something I could do", IF said. She turned towards Lid. "Hey, you'd be a big help for something like this. You're coming too, right?"

Lid crossed her arms. "... I work alone. You do have my support, though."

IF sighed. "Figures."

"I'm sure she'll help in her own way", Nisa assured.

IF turned towards the bench where C-Sha, K-Sha and Persona were sitting. "What about you three?"

"They are subjects in this investigation", E interjected, "Therefore they cannot take this quest."

IF sighed. _Of course_. At this point, her party was now back down to herself and Nisa. Well, Compa was there now too. And perhaps RED, if she ever decided to come out of her hiding place. Say, RED has actually been a bit too quiet throughout all of this. What is she waiting for?

"Wifey, get!", she cried as she leaped forth, ready to claim her rightful wifeys. She was but mere feet from tackle hugging her next victim before she was swatted out of the air like a fly, right into the floor. She hit the ground with so much force that a small crater was created around the impact.

E adjusted her shades, and a lens flare shined off of one of the corners. "Attacking people within the guild is prohibited."

RED warily pushed herself up from the ground. "Ow! A super strong tomboy, huh… Fufufu! A fine addition to my collection." She got onto her feet and wobbled back and forth.

"I see many women in her future…", Persona muttered.

IF crossed her arms. "I had a feeling she'd show up sooner or later."

"Did you want to come on our quest too, RED?", Compa asked.

"A quest? Well, it does seem like a chance to find even more wifeys, so yeah!", RED replied gleefully.

"Great. So that's Nisa, Compa, RED and I. We'll accept that quest now, E", IF nodded.

E eyed them all up. "Very well. Since you're all involved, I'll let you listen in. Several weeks ago, Persona was kidnapped and brought to an unknown facility. From there, K-Sha was ordered to bring her to the facility that was being guarded by the mind-controlled C-Sha. According to C-Sha, the last thing she remembers before being under control was putting on some new wristbands she had bought", E explained, "If it weren't for our findings within the facility, we would be at a loss as to the significance of the wristbands."

"Mind controlling wristbands… how vile!", Nisa commented.

"Would you pipe down so she can finish?", IF sighed.

E continued, ignoring Nisa's comment. "The report from our agents describes sports equipment also being stored within the facility where Persona was being held. We discovered that they were indeed, the same brand of merchandise as the wristbands C-Sha wore. However, this was not enough to prove any wrongdoing from the manufacturer."

"Can you really just rule it out as a coincidence, though?", CC2 asked.

"To be fair, AE's the biggest sports brand, so I just bought one of theirs", C-Sha clarified.

"Which leads us to our final discovery", E nodded. "Our agents found a person of interest within the facility by the name of Generia G. She claims that Athletic Enterprises is indeed responsible for this and that they're planning something mischievous. When pressed further, she could not divulge any more info." E turned to face IF and her shrunken party. "This is where you come in. Your mission is to verify whether or not there's truth to Generia's claims. It is only after we gain any sort of substantial evidence that we can bring this up with the Oracle's for a formal investigation."

"Whoa. That sounds like a really big deal!", CC2 said.

"I wish you luck on this big quest!", K-Sha smiled.

IF felt a little nervous about taking such a task. She looked away from E to hide it. She was startled when she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder. When she turned to see who it was, she saw Nisa.

"We've got this! We'll have your proof in no time!", Nisa declared.

"This sounds dangerous, but I'll help in any way I can. Who knows how reckless you two could get?", Compa added.

RED looked around, confused. "Huh? Who cares about all that! I'll just beat up whoever and add more wifeys onto my list!"

"Wait, who's she again?", B-Sha said, looking at RED.

C-Sha shrugged. "Guess she's another one of IF's friends."

E nodded at everyone's acceptance of the mission. "Good. Then pack your things. You'll be headed out on the next boat to Leanbox. Once there, you'll head to their guild and seek out my sist- I mean, my _counterpart_ for your briefing."

"Leanbox?", IF repeated.

"Ah, Leanbox! The land of Lady Green Heart! A foreign place, for most people. A nation of big cities and athletes!", Nisa explained.

RED's eyes beamed with excitement. "FOREIGN wifeys?! This is a dream come true!"

"Oh, this is a good chance to go shopping!", Compa cheered.

"Stay focused! This isn't a vacation!", IF scolded.

"Come on, Iffy, give them some slack. It's not everyday you get to travel overseas", C-Sha chuckled.

IF sighed. She knew C-Sha had a point. She just really wanted to do this mission right. That way, she'd surely be one step closer to being an exemplary guild member.

* * *

Without further ado, they all said their goodbyes to each other for now, and IF's party split up and agreed to meet up at the dock for the ferry to Leanbox. Naturally, IF arrived first on her motorbike. As she went to bring her bike into the loading bay, a certain Underling caught sight of the ship employees checking everyone who was boarding the ferry.

"Aw, damn it! If those broads ratted me out, I'd be practically turning myself in!", Underling grumbled. She looked around frantically, searching for another way onto the ferry. Her attention drifted back to IF, and a smirk spread across her face…

Not too long later, Nisa, Compa and RED finally showed up at the appointed location. They all looked around.

"Iffy isn't here yet?", Compa asked.

"Strange. She should've been the first one here with that bike of hers", Nisa said.

"Oh hey, there she is!", RED said cheerfully.

The group turned to see IF walking towards them. "Hey, there you are! I've been looking all over for you three!", IF said while jogging over and waving at them.

"Ah, so you did arrive first! Just as I expected!", Nisa smiled.

"Yeah, hahaha! I sure did!", IF said, "Well, we better get on board before the ship leaves!"

"Wait a minute", Compa interrupted. IF froze in place and turned her head nervously. "Iffy… you look taller than when I last saw you."

"W-well I… er… you know… I'm just wearing some new boots!", IF replied.

Compa smiled at IF with her eyes closed, grilling the brunette with her deceptive smile until she finally said "Okay then!"

IF turned around and wiped some sweat off of her forehead. "Well then, let's get to that ship. Wouldn't wanna miss out!"

"Agreed! Leanbox, ho!", Nisa said, pointing towards the ferry dramatically. RED ran off ahead, eager to find any potential wifeys on board. IF speed-walked behind her, and Compa and Nisa followed suit.

"Hey, Nisa?", Compa said.

"Hm? What is it?", Nisa responded.

"Did anything seem off about Iffy to you?", Compa asked.

Nisa paused for a moment. "No, nothing in particular. Why?"

"I guess I was just caught off guard by her height. Oh well!", Compa shrugged.

Nisa nodded. "I'll keep my eyes peeled for anything suspicious, then. The watchful eye of Justice is omnipresent!"

Nisa and Compa followed IF and Compa onto the ferry, until they ran into IF again at the docking area.

"There you are! I thought you got lost for a moment there", IF said.

"Huh? Why would we get lost? The ship's right here", Nisa commented.

"That's not what I meant. I've been waiting here for a while now", IF sighed.

"But we just met you a few seconds ago!", Compa said. IF looked at Compa in confusion.''

Nisa stepped forth. "It seems something odd if afoot! It looks like we have a case of a doppelganger upon us!"

IF crossed her arms. "What's this about a doppelganger now?"

"We ran into someone who looked just like you, Iffy. They just boarded the ship!", Compa explained.

"Don't you mean 'imposter' then? If this person's pretending to be me, then it's not as simple as just looking like me", IF said.

"Good point. Looks like there's a faker on the loose! We better find out who this person is and figure out why they're pretending to be IF", Nisa nodded.

"Maybe I'll be able to test some of my experimental medicine on them", Compa smiled.

"Easy now. We're not trying to get thrown overboard", IF said.

A bell began to ring, and somebody began shouting "All aboard!" in front of the ferry. IF, Compa and Nisa finally made their way onto the ferry, and to their luck, didn't run into any problems while boarding. The ship left the dock, and they were now well on their way to the land of Leanbox.

"Alright, here's the plan! We find RED and let her know there's an imposter on board! In the meantime, IF stays with one of us at all times so we can know for sure who _isn't_ the imposter!", Nisa announced.

IF and Compa nodded. Nisa ran off as fast as she was allowed to on the boat, in search for the fake IF. IF and Compa were now alone.

"Since we're together, let's search for the fake Iffy!", Compa suggested.

IF nodded in agreement. "Makes sense to me. If this imposter's as good as you say, Nisa would probably have trouble telling us apart."

"RED would probably be glad there are two of you, teehee!", Compa chuckled.

IF smiled. "Heh, yeah. Well, let's get going!"

Compa nodded, and they ran off in the opposite direction Nisa went. The two (or three, if you count RED) groups wandered around the ferry, trying to look for the imposter.

The first one to find the "imposter", was RED.

"Iffy!", RED sang as she tackled the brunette.

IF glanced towards RED. "Huh? RED? What are you-"

RED let go of IF and took a step back. "I was just checking up on my #1 wifey, of course."

"I thought you guys missed the ship!", IF blurted out.

"Huh? But we all met up and went inside!", RED replied in confusion.

IF crossed her arms. "That's ridiculous! I didn't see any of you at all, so I just went ahead and boarded the ship to look for you guys."

"I know what I saw!", RED protested.

IF sighed. "Tell you what. Let's look for everyone else so we can sort this out."

"Fine! I'll prove that what I saw was real!", RED said, now full of determination.

The pair began to search the area for any one of the other two parties. Nisa got a few scoldings for running too fast, and IF and Compa were doing their own search. With two IF's in play, who knows what could happen. It was only a matter of time before they ran into each other.

Compa gasped. "It's the imposter!"

"Holy moly!", RED commented with joy, "Two Iffy's!"

Both IF's were shocked to see each other.

"Hold it right there, faker!", the IF next to Compa said.

"Faker? Look who's calling who a fake!", said the IF next to RED.

Compa and RED looked at each other, then at the IF's, then back at each other, in utter confusion.

"Compa, don't listen to her. I'm obviously the real one", said the IF next to Compa.

"Good grief. I can't believe this is happening", said the IF next to RED.

"I… I can't tell the difference!", Compa exclaimed.

"Heeeey. I don't want a bootleg wifey! Which one of you's the REAL IF?!" RED asked.

"I am!", they both said.

"Grrr! I can't tell either!", RED said.

The two IF's began to go back and forth, arguing with the other about who the real IF was. Compa and RED's attention switched between whoever was talking, without a clue as to which IF was real. Suddenly, a light bulb appeared above Compa's head.

"Wait, I've got it!", she said. She took out her cellphone and began dialing a number. A moment later, one of the IF's phone's started ringing. Both IF's paused instantly. The IF next to Compa looked on nervously as the IF next to RED reached for one of her pouches and pulled out her ringing phone. Everyone's attention turned towards the IF next to Compa.

"Uh… I-I…", she stuttered nervously before suddenly bolting off.

IF quickly glanced towards Compa and RED. "Don't just stand there! Come on!", she said before running off behind the imposter. IF didn't bother looking behind herself to see if her two confused companions were following her or not. Her biggest priority at this point was to catch her imposter and find out why they were pretending to be her.

The imposter, on the other hand, was doing everything in her power to get away from the brunette. She pushed people aside and leapt over obstacles, making sharp and sudden turns when she could to try to lose her pursuer.

"Crap! I have to create enough distance between us so I can get a chance to change out of this disguise!", the imposter thought. She turned a corner and saw nothing but stars as she ran right into someone who also happened to be running.

"Agh! Watch where you're going!", the imposter grumbled.

"Likewise!", the other person said. As the imposter's vision cleared, she saw Nisa sitting on the ground before her.

Nisa rubbed her head and got onto her feet. "Oh, IF! Any luck with the imposter?", she asked.

"She's… she's right behind me!", the imposter said. At this point, IF had just arrived.

"Halt, evil doppelganger!", Nisa said, pointing towards IF.

"Oh for pete's sake- Nisa, I'm the real one!", IF said in a frustrated tone.

Nisa looked at both IF and the imposter a few times. "I can't tell the difference."

IF took her phone out of her pouch again. "Just call my phone! That will prove it."

"D-dammit!", the imposter said out loud. After realizing her mistake, she covered her mouth.

"Looks like the cat is finally out of the bag!", IF said. Compa and RED arrived, stopping to observe the scene before them.

"Now, let's see who the imposter really is!", Nisa said. After pulling off the disguise, they were finally met with the true face of the imposter.

"You… you're that underling!", IF commented.

"Underling?", Nisa said. "Wait, you were the one selling stolen weapons!"

"Yeah. She was also kidnapped with me in that pig incident. She agreed to be that Elsa girl's underling while we were there", IF explained.

"Elsa was there too? Wow. Small world!", Nisa replied.

"What's her real name?", RED asked.

"Good question- wait a minute. You're not thinking of declaring her one of your wives, are you?", IF said.

"You bet! A cute punk wifey would be a great addition to my harem!", RED winked.

"Ms. Underling, would you tell us your name?", Compa asked.

Underling looked towards Compa. "Hell, it's about time somebody asked! It's Li-"

"Who cares what the villain's name is! She must face Justice, regardless of who she is!", Nisa interrupted.

"Yeah, I guess 'Underling' works anyway. She kind of already comes across as one already", IF shrugged.

"Oh, give me a freaking break…", Underling grumbled.

"Anyway!", Nisa said, "Why were you posing as IF, Underling?"

Underling wiped her mouth and looked away. "I needed to get on this ship. Since you broads probably snitched on me over that weapon incident, there's a price on my head!"

"Ah yes, that. That hit really hurt, you know…", Nisa said, rubbing her forehead.

"Listen, I'm just trying to turn over a new leaf, okay? Starting over, in Leanbox. Just let me go and I promise I won't cause any trouble!", Underling begged.

"I believe her", Compa said.

"Don't be so gullible, Compa. This rat cosplayer would do anything for cash", IF said.

"As members of the Planeptune guild, it is our duty to bring you in to face justice", Nisa said, "But since we're in international waters, we can't really do anything to you."

"T-that's right! International waters! You can't arrest me!", Underling said excitedly.

IF crossed her arms. "Fine then. You better not do anything stupid while you're there!"

"I already promised I wouldn't, didn't I?! I won't get into any trouble, honest!", Underling said.

"If you do, we'll let Compa use you as a test subject", IF grinned.

Underling's face was filled with confusion. "Huh?"

Compa's eyes glew with fiery intent as she held up her syringe. "I have lots and lots of medicine to test out on you..." Underling gulped.

The rest of their trip went on without a hitch. IF's party took some seats on the ferry, and even had Underling sit with them. Over the length of their trip, RED was trying to convince the green-haired girl to be another one of her wifeys. Underling looked towards the rest of them for some sort of clue as to what RED's deal was, but she was mostly just ignored, save for IF shrugging at her nonchalantly.

"Damn it, I already told you! I don't wanna be your freakin' wife!", Underling snapped.

"Why not?", RED said, confused.

"I don't think it's even legal for me to hook up with a kid like you!", Underling replied.

"Hey! Who you calling a kid?!", RED said.

Underling eyed the redhead up, her eyes fixated at her chest a little longer than the rest of her body. She hugged her hands over her own chest. "Freakin' hell…", she muttered to herself.

The ship's horn went off, alerting everyone that it was ready to dock for shore. It wasn't long until the ship was docked. Everyone was able to get off without a hitch. After warning Underling one final time, they went their separate ways. IF's party took a bus to Leanbox city, leaving Underling to take a bus towards her own destination.

She got off at her stop, and was beholden to a building with the words "Athletic Enterprises" on it. As she walked towards it, Elsa was watching her arrive from within. She watched quietly and unmoving as her father placed his hand on her shoulder and clenched it tightly…

**CHAPTER 12… SPORTING A DISGUISE-- TO LEANBOX!... END.**


	13. Behind the Sound of Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF's party arrives in Leanbox for a special mission. What musical challenges will they face?

IF sat on her bike by the bus stop, having arrived before the rest of her party. She helped herself to a snack wrap she bought from a nearby food truck while browsing the internet on her phone. The day was beautiful, not unlike Planeptune. But upon closer inspection one could note a few fundamental differences, such as drivers sitting on the left side of the car, rather than on the right like back in Planeptune. Besides that, IF couldn't help but notice how much shorter she was than the average civilian.

Before IF could notice anything else, a bus pulled over at the bus stop. She leapt off of her bike and set up the kickstand before turning to greet her party. They got out of the bus one by one and walked over to IF when they spotted her.

"So this is Leanbox", RED said, "I can't wait to see what kind of wifeys I'll find here!"

"I'll pick up some new recipes here!", Compa said, just as overjoyed.

"Hey. Don't tell me you two already forgot we're here on business", IF scolded.

"Sharp as ever, IF! Now, let's head on in to the guild", Nisa responded.

The group turned around and headed into the Leanbox guild. It resembled Planeptune guild's almost perfectly, save for the people inside. The group walked up to one of the receptionists and explained the situation. After waiting a few minutes, they were greeted by the guild's official. The group exchanged confused glances upon seeing who the official was.

"E? What are you doing here?", IF asked.

The handsomely dressed lady bowed before them. "I see you have already met with my… counterpart, in Planeptune. I am the Leanbox guild official, R."

"Wow. I can't tell the difference at all…", Compa muttered.

RED looked like there was a light bulb floating above her head. "Don't tell me. Are the other guild officials related to you?"

"That would make them quadruplets. What are the odds?", Nisa grinned.

R cleared her throat, and IF stepped in to the conversation. "Now's not the time to worry about that stuff!", she said, "Sheesh. How many times do I have to remind you that we're not here on vacation?"

"You would benefit from relaxing a bit everyone once in a while", Nisa replied.

"Yeah, cut loose, Iffy!", RED winked.

IF sighed before turning to face R. "...Anyways. We're here for that special quest."

R fixed her shades and took out a clipboard. "Let's speak about this inside." She turned around and lead the group further into the guild where they could speak more privately. The room they entered was normally used for interrogations. It contained a table and a few seats for everyone to sit down in.

"As you already know, this is an intelligence gathering mission. Nobody must know about this", R explained. A holographic screen appeared behind her. "You will be investigating Athletic Enterprises for any signs of foul play in their merchandise."

"Mind control mods, right?", Nisa asked.

"Precisely", R answered. "Because of the risky nature of this mission, we will not be able to bail you out if you're discovered. Nobody must know that we're investigating private organizations like this."

"Sounds like a pretty risky job for foreigners like us. We don't really know our way around Leanbox at all", IF said.

R turned to face IF. "...Which is why we'll be assigning one of our own agents to assist you."

The door to the room opened, and a young woman with red pigtails stepped in. "Greetings. I am Cave."

Cave walked in and walked up to R before turning around and bowing down before IF's party.

"Cave is part of the RRoD, which is an elite group of Leanbox officers", R explained, "Her expertise should be invaluable for your quest."

"Wow! We're getting a wifey just for this mission? This place rocks!", RED said excitedly.

Compa greeted Cave with a warm smile, while Nisa gave her a thumbs up. IF offered up a smile of her own. "Nice to meet you. The name's IF. And this here's Compa, Nisa, and RED."

"Red?", Cave repeated.

"Nu-uh! R! E! D! RED!", RED butted in.

Cave eyed them all up. "Pleasure to meet you."

R nodded. "Now, for your briefing. Tomorrow, a concert will take place, sponsored by Athletic Enterprises. They will, without a doubt, be selling their merchandise there. You'll be able to blend in with the crowd without drawing attention to yourselves. Use this to try to gain as much info as you can on their products."

Cave looked uneasy at the mention of a concert. IF nodded. "Sounds easy enough."

"Good. Remember… we won't be able to bail you out if you get caught. If the claims against AE are true, then we have a massive problem on our hands", R replied.

"Hold on. What if they mind control everyone there with that equipment?", Nisa butted in.

"Then it would be too obvious that there's something wrong", Cave answered.

R cleared her throat. "Now, unless you have any more questions, I advise you all prepare for your mission."

* * *

With the rest of the day to spare, IF's party decided to get to know Cave better over lunch. They made their way over to an outdoor milkshake shop and took their seats.

"Nothing like a milkshake on a hot day to freshen things up!", Nisa said.

"Oh please, it's not that hot", IF shrugged.

"You can't feel it?", Nisa replied, "Hm. Perhaps it's simply my burning passion for Justice overwhelming my senses."

"Are you sure you don't have a fever? Let me check you!", Compa interrupted. She took out her syringe and approached Nisa menacingly. Nisa backed away nervously and gulped.

"N-no thanks! I was, er, joking!", Nisa stuttered.

"No use hiding it from me", Compa's eyes glowed menacingly, and Nisa ran off. Compa then proceed to give chase, giant syringe in tow.

"...I'll just assume this is normal", Cave muttered. IF sighed.

RED leaned forward at the edge of her seat as her eyes inspected Cave. "So… what do you do for fun?", she asked.

"I am a bodyguard", Cave replied.

"Huh? I said for _fun_ , not work!", RED said.

"Fun?", Cave repeated.

RED nodded and took out a yo-yo. "Yeah, like this!", she said, before starting to perform a trick with the yo-yo. She held the toy in her hand and rapidly extended it up into the air. The yo-yo detached itself from the string for a moment. It continued to spin independently for a moment before spinning down into the string and retracting into RED's hand seamlessly.

RED snickered, "Now, watch THIS!" She whipped the yo-yo out once more, this time directly in front of her. However, she underestimated herself and the yo-yo detached from the string just like before. This time, the yo-yo kept spinning forward, directly towards Cave. The pig-tailed redhead instinctively dodged the flying yo-yo without a flinch. The yo-yo continued to fly for a bit before hitting a random stranger. The stranger was upset, and passive aggressively through it back towards Cave, who dodged the projectile again without even looking in the direction from whence it came. The yo-yo flew right back into the string, and RED caught it in her hand after it retracted.

"RED, what are you doing?! You could've hit Cave!", IF scolded.

RED had a nervous look on her face. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Don't worry about it", Cave interjected, "Dodging that was simple for me."

"Dodging, huh? That ought a help us out in this quest", IF said.

RED pouted in disapproval. "That makes you more slippery than everyone else!", she complained.

Cave looked at RED in confusion. "Hm?"

"Don't worry about it", IF said.

At this point, Nisa and Compa returned to the table. Nisa rubbed her butt in pain while Compa had a satisfied look on her face.

"I'd hate to have to face that needle again…", Nisa complained.

"Let's just hope it never comes to that", IF shrugged.

"You could always just dodge", Cave suggested.

"Nisa's too hot-headed for that", IF said before facing Compa. "And not the fever kind."

Compa giggled as she put her syringe away.

"So, about the mission…", Cave began, "... There will be three main singers there. Ai Masujima, Tsunemi, and finally… .5pb."

"Ah yes, more wifey candidates", RED smiled, "I can't wait to have a pop idol in my harem!"

Cave looked at RED with another confused look on her face, but shrugged it off.

IF crossed her arms, deep in thought. "Hm. I wonder… could the singers be working with AE to spread their mind control merch?"

Cave shifted uncomfortably and muttered, "... .5pb."

Everyone turned to look at Cave. The pig-tailed redhead looked up and looked at them all before continuing. "I'm the bodyguard of one of the performers… .5pb."

Everyone was surprised to hear this, and were each taken aback in their own ways. They were quiet for a moment before Nisa spoke up.

"That's a pretty big conflict of interest", Nisa said. Cave remained quiet, like a dog who was ashamed of themselves for tearing up a couch.

"Miss R recommended her to us, so maybe that means we can trust her", Compa said.

"Good point. If anything, we could just have her keep watch of another one of the singers instead of .5pb", IF suggested.

Nisa stepped forward. "Let's just hope none of them are a part of this scheme."

IF spoke up. "Hey, that gives me an idea. If Cave is .5pb's bodyguard, then we have a way backstage."

"I would only be able to sneak one of you in. It would be too suspicious if I brought too many people backstage", Cave answered.

"I'll go", IF replied, "The rest of you could stay in the crowd in case something happens. Look out for anything suspicious going on."

Everyone agreed with the plan. They spent the rest of the evening discussing it at length and agreed to rendezvous the next day.

* * *

After spending the night at a hotel, the party regrouped and was ready to head to the concert venue. As they approached it, barricades were set up around the streets leading up to the stage to prevent vehicles from passing through. The crowd grew more and more dense as they approached the stage. Along the way, there were people giving out free merchandise such as shirts, hats and light sticks. All of which the party declined to take.

They spread out to cover more ground, all according to plan. Cave sneaked IF backstage, who then began her search. Behind the stage were several trailers lined up next to each other like bookshelves in a library. IF sneaked around, looking for something, anything that would give her any leads.

She avoided the occasional security guard as she made her way around. She approached one of the trailers and climbed up to see inside the window. Nothing. She heard someone coming and quickly let go and leapt for cover. From within a garbage bin, IF peeked outside to see a brunette with light blue and white top and skirt passing by.

"Alright! This is totally like, my super duper chance to finally come out on top! I need to really psych myself up for this!", the girl said, "La la la, la la~!"

IF squinted her eyes and noticed that this girl was holding a heart-shaped microphone. "That must be one of the idols", IF thought to herself. After the coast was clear, she climbed out of the trash bin and wiped some trash off her jacket. She looked around and sneaked over in the direction where the idol was walking from.

Finally, she found a trailer with a star on the front door, with the name "Tsunemi". IF peaked inside through one of the windows and saw that the trailer was empty. She took her chances and climbed into the trailer through the window.

The inside was tidy, save for the small table and mirror with cosmetics littered about. IF began to search the trailer up and down for something incriminating. She believed that if there was something fishy going on, the singers would surely be aware of it.

She tried not to move anything unless absolutely necessary. IF opened the drawer of the table with the mirror, and found an envelope. It had no address or return address on it. IF took out the letter inside the envelope and skimmed through it.

IF thought to herself. "Huh? Wait, these are lyrics. But why would she be getting lyrics in an envelope? Unless… could this be from AE? I know they're sponsoring all this, but a song too?" She stood quietly for a moment before coming to a realization.

* * *

Meanwhile out front, the crowd was cheering with their free light sticks and donning their free hats and shirts. IF's party was spread out, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Cave escorted .5pb onto the stage for the main event. She stood at the side of the stage, keeping an eye on the performance.

.5pb took a deep breath before heading onto the stage. She was joined by the brunette IF saw and another girl with blonde pigtails and a purple dress. The three idols took their places on the stage.

"Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for coming!", .5pb said, "I'm .5pb!"

The brunette followed up, "I'm Ai!"

And the blonde followed up with, "And I am Tsunemi."

"And we're all here to have some fun!", .5pb announced.

"Yeah! This is all thanks to our like, super amazing sponsor!", Ai butted in.

"We dedicate this first song to them…", Tsunemi declared.

The trio began to sing, and the crowd began to go wild. It was like a sea of glow sticks waving to the idols on stage, completely entranced with the lyrics to the song. Nisa felt her phone vibrate and answered it.

"HELLO?", Nisa said.

"Nisa! The song! It's connected somehow!", IF said over the line.

"HUH? I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE CROWD!", Nisa replied.

"DAMN IT, NISA! THE SONG IS CONNECTED SOMEHOW!", IF shouted.

"THIS ISN'T GOING TO WORK OUT WHILE THE CONCERT'S GOING ON. CAN'T YOU TEXT ME?", Nisa shouted back.

IF closed the phone and began typing furiously, only to be interrupted by the door to the trailer opening. She stopped what she was doing and leaped into the closet. IF gulped as she finished her text and hit "Send".

* * *

Nisa received the message and looked up frantically. The _song_? How could a song be connected somehow?

The three idols continued to sing. Nisa wondered what was even going on. It was loud and people were cheering everywhere. She couldn't even hear her own thoughts.

"AE rocks! I'm gonna go get me some more stuff!", someone in the crowd said.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm gonna drop my life savings on AE stock!", another person shouted.

Nisa looked around, and started to hear more of the same. For whatever reason, everyone began to praise AE. Coincidentally, they all had free merchandise on. Nisa put two and two together in her head, thanks to IF's message. To Nisa, it became clear that the song was influencing the crowd unnaturally. She clutched her phone tightly and forwarded IF's message to the rest of the party.

After doing that, Nisa wasn't sure what to do next. What she did know, however, was that someone was committing some sort of crime: aggressively advertising towards a multitude of people. The problem she found, was that this _wasn't_ necessarily illegal. Unless of course, there was an underhanded method being used. The problem was finding out what that was for sure.

Nisa looked at the message IF sent her again. The _song_ was behind this. Perhaps then, maybe, if the song changed, the trance that has taken over the audience would vanish. What could she possibly do about this?

* * *

After IF sent the text, her phone made a "whoop" sound, indicating her message was sent. She was still in the closet, hiding from the security guard who came to investigate the noise IF made when she shouted over the phone. IF stood perfectly still, hoping that the security guard didn't hear her phone. As soon as she saw the closet door begin to open, IF threw whatever clothing she could get her hands on into the security guard's face and ran for it.

She bolted away from the trailer without even thinking. She only really bought herself a few seconds with that clothes attack. Her desperation lead her to run through the backstage area without a clue where she was headed. She wasn't sure how, but she somehow ended up smack in the middle of the stage.

IF looked down towards the crowd with wide eyes, like a deer in headlights. The trio of idols didn't notice her at first. Nisa and the rest noticed this, and Nisa commanded the rest via text to follow IF onto the stage. After a few moments, Cave threw a microphone over towards IF, and her party crowded up behind her holding instruments.

Everyone on the stage shuffled around, with IF's party opposing the idol trio, who continued to sing their hypnotic tune. IF looked on towards the crowd and gulped. Whether she liked it or not, she was going to sing.

The idol trio stopped for a moment to behold the scene before them. Nisa nudged IF, and she blurted out something random, stumbling through her words to form something resembling a song. She turned around, and her party smiled back at her. Their smiles reminded IF that she should put a smile on her face, and that there wasn't any time to waste.

IF smiled and began singing whatever came out of her mouth. It was time for her to jump up and not be scared. Her cares soared away, and the performance took off.

The idol trio looked at each other in confusion, not having received the memo about this other act. They started to sing louder in an attempt to drown out IF's party.

The result was a one-up contest, with each side getting louder and louder with each turn. It began to be clear that neither side was going to win. This lead IF to step forward and stretch her hand out towards .5pb to join her. Though initially reluctant, the blue haired idol took IF's hand and they both began to sing together.

This left Tsunemi and Ai awkwardly standing around on their side of the stage, continuing to sing. IF's party overpowered Tsunemi and Ai's performance until Tsunemi stopped altogether. Ai stopped out of frustration as she was outshined by the random newcomers.

IF's tune came to an end, and the crowd began to go wild. IF looked around confused, not sure what to do. Nisa placed her hand on IF's back and pushed her downwards so she could bow for the audience.

"Aww, this is super duper lame! This was my chance to shine!", Ai complained, "Who even are you people?"

Cave stepped onto the stage and stood between the two groups. "They're… guest stars", she muttered.

"Strange. I did not receive any notice about this", Tsunemi replied.

"Yeah, this is really random!", .5pb said.

Cave nodded. "I apologize. It was a last minute change."

While Cave sorted out the situation with the idols, Nisa listened in on the crowd.

"Wow, that performance was great!"

"Why do I feel like I was going to waste a bunch of money on sports equipment?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna buy a new game instead!"

Nisa nodded and gave her attention back to the three idols.

.5pb turned towards IF. "Hey, what's your name? Your singing was fantastic!"

IF smiled. "The name's IF. I'm a gust of wind that flows through Gamindustri!"

"Whoa! So you're like, an international singer?", Ai asked.

IF blinked a few times. "Well, actually I-"

"We're from Planeptune!", Nisa interrupted, "Singers... from Planeptune!"

"Nuh uh! I'm just looking for some hot wifeys!", RED interjected. "And I see three candidates right in front of me!"

"Uh… wifeys?", .5pb repeated.

"Don't… don't worry about her", IF sighed. IF remembered the letter she found in Tsunemi's trailer. "Oh, by the way, can you tell us about this concert?"

Ai squinited. "Shouldn't you already like, know that?"

"Well, er…", IF stuttered nervously.

"Oh, let's just tell them", Nisa shrugged. "We're agents investigating a link between AE and mind control. Do you happen to know anything about that?"

"Mind control? No way, all we did was sing!", .5pb answered.

"They did sponsor this event. The song we were performing was also from them", Tsunemi said.

Ai flinched at the question. "I have no idea what you're talking about! They paid for this concert and gave out free stuff and had us sing a song… there's no mind control involved in that!"

IF's party looked at each other. It was true- they couldn't prove for sure that any mind control happened at all.

"Still. Why did you have to sing that specific song they gave you?", IF asked.

.5pb shrugged. "Well, I didn't think much of it when we got it."

"How about we put on one of their shirts and listen to the song?", Compa suggested.

"Y-you don't need to do that! It like, totally won't do anything!", Ai spoke up.

"Doesn't hurt to try", IF shrugged.

Cave walked up to the front of the stage and asked someone to throw up one of the free hats they were handing out. She walked back and placed it on RED's head.

"Hey! I don't wanna be a guinea pig!", RED complained.

"Eh, you'll live", IF smirked. She turned to face .5pb, who started to sing the song they were instructed to sing.

Suddenly RED spoke. "Hm… I could really use an AE fishing net! Who knows how many wifeys I'll catch with that!"

Everyone looked on in surprise. It was like RED's logic curved to fit in AE somehow. Cave pulled the hat off of RED's head, leaving the shorter redhead to look around, confused.

"How do you feel, RED?", Nisa asked.

"Huh. I feel as if the urge to recklessly spend my money just vanished", RED answered.

The group exchanged glances at each other. Bingo.

"Looks like we got what we came for. Let's head back to the guild", IF suggested.

"I don't think it'll be that easy…", Nisa said. She pointed out towards the audience, who were now chanting "Encore".

"Maybe you should get into singing instead, IF", Nisa teased with a grin.

"As if. ...Though, I have to admit, singing is pretty fun", IF smiled.

* * *

After giving the people what they wanted, IF's party returned to the guild. The three idols decided to tag along with them to help explain their findings to R.

"Interesting. To use music to hypnotize the audience…", R said.

Tsunemi nodded. "I didn't think the song we were given would have this sort of effect… Well, at least not direct mind control."

"How super duper awful!", Ai cried out.

"Um… is there anyway we can help?", .5pb asked.

R shook her head. "The information you provided us should be sufficient assistance… however vague it may be."

"This evidence isn't conclusive enough to condemn AE. It can easily be brushed off as the power of music doing it's thing", Nisa butted in.

IF sighed. "Figures. Guess we'll have to investigate some more."

.5pb stepped forward. "Um…! Is there anything we can do to help?"

Tsunemi followed suit. "Mind controlling the audience makes me feel guilty, so I want to help too!"

Ai didn't move an inch. "I, er, have to practice, so good luck with your investigation or whatever!" The brunette idol bowed before taking her leave.

R eyed up the two remaining idols. "Don't sing that song they gave you ever again."

IF remembered something, and reached into her pocket. She still had the letter with the song in it from Tsunemi's trailer. IF took it out and handed it over to R. "I snagged this while looking around Tsunemi's trailer", she turned to face Tsunemi, "Sorry about that, by the way."

"I do not mind. As long as you didn't try to steal any of my stuff to sell on some creepy website", Tsunemi replied.

R took the letter and skimmed through it. "So this song compels the listeners wearing AE equipment to buy more of their products… An underhanded tactic, but not exactly illegal on it's own." She turned to face the two remaining idols. "You can help us by drowning out any semblance of this forbidden song with your own music."

"You want us to sing?", .5pb asked, "Um… well… about that…"

IF's party looked on in confusion. Cave spoke up, "She has stage fright."

"Stage fright? But she did a really good job singing out there!", Nisa said.

Tsunemi placed a hand on .5pb's shoulder. "I will be there too. You have nothing to be afraid of."

"Just focus on singing. I know you'll be alright", IF smiled.

"Fear is meaningless against a burning passion!", Nisa said with a thumbs up.

"We're all rooting for you!", Compa said.

"I will be there, too", Cave reassured.

"I'll... ", .5pb muttered, "...I'll do my best!"

Everyone cheered, encouraging .5pb even further. With newfound courage, .5pb and Tsunemi left to do… whatever idols do in their free time. R turned to face IF's party.

"We're going to need more concrete evidence in order to make any accusations against AE", R said to the group, "I believe the wisest decision right now would be to infiltrate their HQ… of course, you won't be marching in there. They give tours of their main building often. Your next mission will be to go on one of their tours and try to find anything incriminating within the building."

"A tour? Hm… I can't say I'm very excited", RED said.

"How many times do I have to remind you that this isn't a vacation?", IF sighed.

* * *

Ai walked outside on her own, creating enough distance before making a call on her phone. "Hello? Yeah, it was a big stupid failure! Some other singers showed up and like, stole the show!", she stomped her feet, "It was my chance to finally surpass .5pb and become the top idol in Leanbox! It was going so well, too! ...Hm? Standby? Well, if you say so…"

She closed her phone and looked around before continuing to walk, disappearing into the crowd.

**CHAPTER 13… BEHIND THE SOUND OF MUSIC... END.**


	14. Pride and Accomplishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF and her party travel to Athletic Enterprises in search of some incriminating intelligence.

A bus pulled over in front of the Athletic Enterprises HQ. The building was in the midtown area of Leanbox, not too far or too close to all of the action. The doors opened up for IF and her party and they exited the bus one by one. They all took a moment to look around and take in the view. Despite being in the thick of the city, AE still had its own little campus.

"Wow! It's huge!", RED commented.

"A bit much, if you ask me", IF shrugged.

Nisa looked around and noticed that there was a gated area which contained a running track, gymnastic equipment, soccer goals, volleyball nets, and even an entire (American) football field which could be used for even more sports. The area was, of course, in-use.

"I expected the building, but this is incredible!", Nisa said.

"Maybe we can play once we're done?", Compa suggested.

"...We'll see. Remember- these guys are suspects!", IF answered.

With that, they all walked into the main building and waited for the tour to begin. IF wondered what exactly there was to see here. Sports equipment that could mind control people? Surely they must be keeping a few dirty secrets within these otherwise clean halls.

IF's train of thought came to a halt when the tour guide arrived. "Hello, everyone! Welcome to Athletic Enterprises! Now, please form two single-file lines so we can begin!"

"This feels like a school trip…", Nisa muttered.

"Aww! If I knew it would be like this, I would've packed us some lunches!", Compa said.

RED crossed her arms. "I'm bored."

IF turned to RED. "We haven't even started yet."

"The quicker we start, the better!", Nisa encouraged. Everyone lined up and followed the tour guide inside. Their first stop was a small museum. It was like a small hall of fame, with portraits and jerseys of athletes from all kinds of different sports. Unsurprisingly, their equipment was all made by yours truly.

IF paid no attention to what the tour guide was saying. Instead, she was looking around for a chance to "get lost". The tour continued, until IF found her chance.

"Excuse me… er… where can I find the restroom?" IF asked.

Nisa turned towards IF. "Ah, I see you forgot the pre-trip ritual."

"Pre-trip what?", IF replied.

"Bathroom! Keys! Wallet! Phone!", Nisa replied with a thumbs up.

IF shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

"It's right over there- two lefts and a right", the tour guide said.

IF nodded and followed the guide's directions, even going as far as actually going into the bathroom. After she washed her hands, she poked her head outside before leaving the bathroom completely. Her search now having begun, she looked around the corners and avoided attention as she moved through the building.

She continued looking until she spied an employee use a key card to enter a restricted area. IF leaned against the wall and started to go through her options in her head. If she tried to go in without a card, she'd probably set off an alarm. She couldn't impersonate an employee. She couldn't bust her way in. Her mind went through several different scenarios until she felt a breeze against her forehead. IF looked up and spied an air vent. Her eyes lit up. Bingo. IF returned to the bathroom and climbed up into the air vent…

* * *

Luckily for IF, the vents were relatively clean. She sighed in relief as she began to make her tight crawl to an unknown destination. At this point, she could go to almost every room in the building. The problem was, the vents weren't exactly labeled. IF was, for all intents and purposes, blind. All she could do was peak through the grated openings and guess what the room was for. IF sighed before beginning her aimless crawl.

Meanwhile, the tour gang made its way through more sections of the building. Ironically, if IF had stayed with the group, she would at least have an idea as to what the building's layout was like. As the tour moved on, Nisa got a text from IF.

"In the vents. Not sure where to go", the text read.

Nisa texted back. "The middle of the building is restricted".

IF got the text and nodded. She began crawling towards where she thought the middle would be.

After sending the text, the group headed outside onto the campus. The big field had all kinds of people playing sports as if it were a field day.

The tour guide turned to face the tourists. "In an effort to promote healthy activity among civilians in Leanbox, AE has accommodated this space for everyone to play to their heart's content!"

RED, despite finding the rest of the tour boring, began to look rather excited upon observing the playing field.

"Oh, oh! I wanna play!", RED said. She took out a red Frisbee from… wherever she keeps her stuff. "Nisa! Go long!"

Nisa reacted instinctively by dashing through the field as fast as she could. She looked up into the sky as she ran, keeping her eye on the prize. She finally leaped into the air to catch the Frisbee. Though she was able to secure the objective in her grasp, she basically ran right into someone to catch it.

Nisa fell over along with her victim. The both of them laid on the ground, their vision impaired by all the stars rotating around their heads. RED and Compa ran over to check on them.

"Yow! That looked like it hurt!", RED commented.

"Don't worry! I'll patch you both up!", Compa reassured.

Nisa rubbed her head. Sadly, this wasn't the first time in this fanfic where she banged her head. As her vision returned to normal, she started to recognize just who exactly she crashed into.

"Y-you!", Nisa blurted out.

"Oh look. One of the girls who lost my bike", Elsa groaned.

"I remember that going differently", Nisa muttered.

Compa wasted no time patching up their minor injuries. "Do you two already know each other?", she asked.

Nisa nodded. "Yeah… IF and I rescued her from a bunch of dogoos in Planeptune."

"Hey! Don't leave out the part where you didn't save my bike!", Elsa growled.

"We had nothing to do with your bike, ma'am!", Nisa replied.

The air began to grow tense as the two girls butt heads. They were interrupted when another girl with brown hair in a blue jersey jogged up to them, holding a blue ball.

"Elsa! Are you alright?", she asked.

Elsa pushed herself up and wiped off the grass from her outfit. "I'm fine, Wyn. I just ran into- or rather, THEY ran into me."

Wyn scanned the small group, and stopped at Nisa. "Hey, you!"

Nisa looked around before pointing to herself. "Me?"

"That's a foul! Yellow card!", Wyn declared, as she brought out a card and whacked Nisa over the head with it.

"Huh? I wasn't even playing!" Nisa exclaimed.

"Once you step into the field, you're fair game!", Wyn replied.

"Wait, I have an idea", Elsa interrupted.

Nisa tilted her head. "Oh?"

Elsa pointed towards Nisa. "A 2 on 2 match! Winner owes the loser a bike!"

"I decline", Nisa shrugged, "We have nothing to gain out of this."

"Are you sure about that?", Elsa snickered, "I'm sure IF wouldn't mind losing her bike then."

Nisa's expression grew tense. "...You didn't."

Elsa grinned and snapped he fingers. Suddenly, a certain Underling walked IF's bike onto the field.

"Ah, but I did! It's MY bike now!", Elsa snickered. "If you want it back, you're gonna have to beat us!"

Nisa and Underling immediately recognized each other. "I thought you said you were done getting into trouble!", Nisa exclaimed.

"I-I am! This is just honest work!", Underling insisted.

"Stealing isn't honest work!", Nisa replied.

Elsa scoffed. "Never mind how we got the bike. We're not handing it over unless you beat Wyn and I in a soccer match!"

Nisa clenched her fist. "Taking someone's belongings hostage… how underhanded!" She pointed towards Elsa. "My burning heart tells me to defeat you! RED, back me up!"

RED shook her head. "I don't wanna!"

Nisa stumbled in place, her momentum being destroyed by RED's refusal. "IF would really appreciate it if you got her bike back!"

RED's eyes lit up. "That's… that's just what I need to score some affection points with her… Fine! You're on!"

Meanwhile, the tour guide sighed and continued to give the tour to the rest of the tourists, leaving Nisa's party behind.

* * *

And just like that, everyone got into their places. Nisa and Elsa took to the field while Wyn and RED stood in front of their goal posts. Underling sat with Compa, just in case she tried to do any funny business during the match.

Underling whistled and the game began. Elsa gained possession of the ball and dribbled it down towards RED rapidly, leaving Nisa caught off guard behind her. RED prepared herself to block Elsa's shot. The athletic girl took her shot , and RED dived for it- only to be knocked back into the goalpost.

"Score! 1 to 0!", Underling shouted.

Nisa jogged up to RED and pulled her up from the ground. "What happened?", she asked the redhead.

"That shot was too strong!", RED whined.

Nisa turned to Elsa. "Hold up. What's this funny business now?"

"Huh? It's not _my_ fault she got knocked back by the force", Elsa scoffed.

"Oh, I get it. If you're gonna use special abilities, then so will we!", Nisa declared.

Everyone got back to their positions and waited for the whistle to continue. Elsa once again gained possession of the ball and sprinted towards RED. However this time, RED smacked the ball back with a yo-yo.

"Wh-what?!", Elsa shrieked.

Nisa gained possession of the ball and ran for it, over to Wyn. She slammed the ball towards the goal post, only for the brunette to catch it.

"It's gonna take more than that to get this ball through me, newbie!", Wyn taunted before throwing the ball back to Elsa.

Elsa regained possession and dribbled it towards RED. This time, Nisa was just beside her, challenging Elsa for the ball at high speed. This went on for a few moments until Nisa nabbed the ball away from Elsa.

However, as Nisa turned around, Elsa fell onto the ground and started squealing in pain.

"Aaaaaaaaaah!", she cried, holding her ankle.

Nisa stopped running and turned around to face Elsa, who was rolling around the grass in pain.

"Hey, are you alright?", Nisa asked.

"Do I look alright?!", Elsa cried.

Wyn jogged over from her goal post to check on Elsa. "Hey, that's a foul!", she said, before pulling something out from her pocket, "Yellow card!"

"H-hey! I barely even touched her!", Nisa replied.

Compa jogged over to check on Elsa. "Hold still! If you keep rolling around, I can't patch you up!" Elsa continued rolling around in pain.

Underling jogged over from the sidelines. "According to the rules, that's a free kick."

Nisa sighed. "This is really fishy, but I'll go along with it."

Everyone returned to their positions- including Elsa, who was _miraculously_ healed. Nisa waited behind Elsa, who was prepared to take her free kick. After Underling whistled, Elsa charged forth and kicked the ball at full force.

The ball ripped through the air violently. RED ran forth to meet it, and caught it securely in her hands. She didn't anticipate what Elsa would do next. She dashed up and kick the ball a second time as RED held it in her hands.

A power struggle ensued, with RED struggling to hold the ball against Elsa's foot trying to kick the ball into the net.

"I won't… lose…", RED muttered, "This… is for my wifey!" RED's golden dragon unwrapped itself from her torso and smacked the ball into the air, away from both Elsa and RED.

The ball bounced away, and Nisa gained possession. Elsa was directly at RED's goal post, and couldn't catch up to Nisa in time. The blue-haired heroine dribbled over to Wyn and faked her out, launching a devastating kick right into the goal post.

"Goooooooal!", Compa shouted with joy.

Underling shrugged. "That's 1 to 1. Looks like you broads aren't half bad."

Elsa and Nisa returned to the middle of the field with a determined look in their eyes. This was gonna be an intense match.

* * *

IF was still in a tight spot (literally), making progress through the air vents and blissfully unaware of the situation her party had gotten themselves into. She was able to peak outside the vent system and found what seemed to be a luxurious office. IF poked her head out before dropping down into it.

There was a large desk and a bookshelf with some books poking out from the rest. IF moved over to the large desk to see what she could find. She opened the drawers nervously, hoping to find some sort of lead.

IF was able to bring up a holographic screen with several files to choose from. Schedule, payments, contacts, design proposals, and more. The owner of this computer was clearly an important figure at the company.

The brunette brought her phone out and initiated a file transfer of whatever she could find. She looked around nervously as the file transfer seemed to go on forever. When it was finally over, IF hastily returned to the ventilation shaft and began to navigate her way back to the bathroom...

* * *

"That's 3 to 2!", Underling called out.

The soccer field had several craters and other similar signs of wear and tear. Nisa had just made the most recent goal. The ball reset, and the game continued. Elsa and Nisa danced around the middle, trying to take the ball from the other in an endless loop. It wasn't until Elsa "accidentally" pulled Nisa's scarf that one of them broke out with the ball. Elsa sprinted towards RED and scissor kicked it towards the redhead's post. RED, unfortunately, jumped the other direction and couldn't block the strike.

The ball spun against the net, threatening to burn a hole right through it. RED pushed herself up, frustrated at her failure.

"3 to 3! Tie game!", Underling called out.

"Grr! I won't… I won't let you win!", RED grumbled, "This is for my wifey!"

Nisa readjusted her scarf and coughed several times. "Such dirty tactics...", she muttered, "In this case, let's quit beating around the bush. I'll give this my all!"

Elsa scoffed. "Not like it would make a difference", she crossed her arms. "Wyn, you better not fail!"

Wyn nodded. "Leave it to me. I'll grab any balls that come my way!"

Everyone got back to their positions, ready to settle the score once and for all. Underling whistled, and Nisa and Elsa dashed for the ball. They both kicked it at the same time, causing the ball to shoot straight up into the air. Nisa reacted quickly and leaped into the air after it.

She slammed her foot against the ball and sent it flying towards Wyn's goal post. The brunette responded by throwing several yellow cards, which were somehow strong enough to deflect the ball. This allowed Elsa to gain possession of the ball. Nisa landed and ran towards Elsa.

As Nisa drew close, Elsa tackled her aside and dribbled forth towards RED. Nisa was knocked to the ground, powerless to do anything but watch. Elsa moved in close to RED and took her shot.

RED caught the ball with both hands, safely stopping it's advance. However, Elsa continued to run and kicked the ball as RED held it, pushing it right into her face. RED was knocked backwards as the ball flew straight up into the air.

Nisa stumbled onto her feet and dashed as fast as she could towards RED's goal post. She leaped into the air in sync with Elsa, and both girls slammed their feet into the ball. They floated in midair momentarily, before a shock wave blasted both girls away. The ball fell down to the ground, allowing RED to pick it up.

Nisa was knocked over to the middle of the field while Elsa was knocked out of bounds behind RED's goal post. RED threw the ball over to Nisa, who bolted forth towards Wyn's goal post.

"Prepare for my ultimate attack! Justice KICK!", Nisa shouted as she unleashed a devastatingly powerful punt towards Wyn's goal post. The brunette stayed still and took out a red card, raising it up to stop Nisa's attack. On contact, the ball's momentum vanished, and it dropped down onto the ground unceremoniously.

"What?! Impossible!", Nisa blurted out.

"The red card reigns supreme in this battlefield!", Wyn smirked.

Wyn hurled the ball as hard as she could to the opposite side of the field, where Elsa was waiting. Elsa leaped into the air and performed a flip kick, down towards RED.

RED attempted to catch the ball, but wasn't fast enough to grab it with her hands. It smacked her in the face and knocked her over before bouncing into the goal post.

"Score! 4 to 3!", Underling called out.

Nisa looked on in disbelief while Wyn ran off to her teammate to celebrate. RED laid on the grass for a moment before sitting up and rubbing her nose. Compa and Nisa jogged over to check on the redhead.

"Nobody told me she'd kick so hard…", RED muttered.

Elsa chuckled to herself. "It looks like I finally have a new bike! Bring it over, my underling!"

Underling walked the bike over, mumbling something to herself about still being called an 'underling'.

"Hold it right there. You still stole the bike in the first place. You can't just take it now!", Nisa said.

"Too late for that. You shouldn't have accepted the match if you didn't didn't want to bet on it!", Elsa replied.

"We can't bet on this behind Iffy's back!", Compa interjected.

"Hm?", Elsa said, "Iffy? Well, I don't see _her_ here, so-"

"What the heck happened here?"

IF arrived at the ruined soccer field and scanned the situation. Her eyes glued themselves on her bike. "Why the hell do you have my bike, Underling?"

"W-wait, this wasn't my idea!", Underling stuttered.

IF turned to face Elsa. "Wait a minute. This isn't about that time where you lost your bike, is it?"

"Well, duh. I actually just won this bike fair and square in a soccer match", Elsa said as she crossed her arms.

"Like hell you did! I didn't even know about this until just now!", IF barked.

"S-sorry, Iffy…", RED muttered, "She kicks… really hard."

"Show me where the meanie hit you", Compa said to RED.

IF walked over and placed a hand on one of the bike's handles. Elsa walked over and grabbed the other handle.

"I'm not letting you take my bike", IF growled.

"I think you mean MY bike", Elsa growled back.

"How about we go another round for it?", Wyn suggested, "Whoever scores a goal, wins the bike!"

IF sighed. "I can't believe I have a play a silly little game to win my own bike."

Underling walked the bike back over to the sidelines while Compa walked RED off of the field, tending to her mild injuries. RED's eyes were glued to the ground as she walked off the field, disappointed at her own performance.

IF took RED's spot at the goal post. She stretched her arms out and prepared herself as Underling whistled, beginning the match. Nisa and Elsa dashed forth and both kicked the ball at the same time, sending it rolling off behind Elsa.

Wyn easily scooped up the ball and returned it to her partner, who made her way towards IF's goal post. Nisa dashed towards her and tried to steal the ball away, only for both girls to trip up on each other's legs.

Both of them fell down, and held their legs as they moaned in agony. Underling and Compa jogged over to check out the _devastating_ damage.

"Um… I don't see anything wrong with them", Compa said.

Underling shrugged. "These broads must be kidding…", she muttered to herself. "I guess this means you both get free kicks."

And just like that, Underling's magic words miraculously cleansed the pain from both players.

Elsa was up first. She moved up to the line Underling drew up for her and waited for the signal to kick. IF prepared herself, with no intention of losing to the likes of the entitled brat before her.

After the whistle, Elsa crept up to the ball slowly before sprinting up into a kick. IF dived towards the ball, just in time to smack it away from the goal post.

"Yay! Go Iffy!", Compa cheered.

"Don't celebrate just yet. That loud broad still has to go", Underling said.

Nisa moved into position and waited for the whistle to go. After hearing the signal, she dashed up and slammed her foot into the ball, sending it straight towards the net. This time, Wyn was unable to stop it with one of her cards, and the ball tore through the back of the net.

"Oof…", Wyn groaned.

"Yes!", RED cheered.

"Justice prevails once more!", Nisa grinned.

IF walked up to greet Nisa. "Great job. Now, I'll be taking my bike back…"

"Damn it! Fine. Take your lame bike back", Elsa grumbled.

IF walked over towards Underling and grabbed her bike by the handles. "...Wait a second." She tried turning it on, but nothing happened. "...What the hell did you do to my bike?"

"Oh, well, I had the engine removed. I was planning to replace it with a better one", Elsa shrugged.

"Are you serious?! Put it back!", IF barked.

"Aw, don't be so angry. This way, you'll feel a sense of pride and accomplishment once you get your bike working again!", Elsa grinned.

IF's eye twitched for a few moments before she lunged towards Elsa, only for Nisa to hold her back.

"IF! It's not worth it!", Nisa called out.

"She messed with my freaking bike!", IF roared, "Let me go!"

"Oh dear, are you trying to attack me? Looks like I need to call security!", Elsa scoffed.

It didn't take long for them to be escorted out of the playing field. They were given a warning before being let go. The party now found themselves on the curb outside AE's main building. IF tried starting up her bike over and over again, in denial.

"Um… IF? I don't think that's going to work", Nisa said.

"Iffy?", Compa said.

The brunette was unresponsive. A thousand mile stare was on her face, as if she had lost all will to act.

RED seemed upset as well, though for a different reason. "Iffy… Don't worry! All we have to do is get another engine! It'll be as good as new!"

"By the way, IF. Did you find anything inside there?", Nisa asked.

"M-my… bike…", she muttered.

Compa placed her hand on IF's shoulder to try to comfort her. IF looked at Compa and gave a deep sigh. "Let's just get back to the guild."

* * *

The party ended up walking the whole way back, since IF couldn't bring her bike on the bus. Once they arrived at the Leanbox guild, they requested the receptionist to see R. After a few moments, R came to get them and they went inside to share their findings.

"I copied some files from a computer", IF explained, "Based off of the room it was in, it probably belonged to one of the big wigs at the company."

"Interesting. Please send those files to this system here", R said.

IF started sending the data and after a few moments, several holographic screens appeared over the table, each one displaying a different set of files.

"Whoa. Looks like you really hit the jackpot, IF!", Nisa said.

"Eh, we don't know that yet. These files could be useless for all we know", IF shrugged. Everyone looked at all of the files on display, not sure which one to open first.

"Oh, let's look at finances!", Nisa suggested, "When in doubt, follow the money!"

Nisa opened up the financial folder and read through some of it. "Hm. These payments all seem to be normal… for a rich person that is."

"Wait, that one looks different!", Compa spoke up, "It's made out to the Planeptune guild."

"That's strange. Why would they be paying that guild instead of the Leanbox one?", Nisa said.

"It's probably not a donation", Compa suggested.

"I can contact E and ask what this payment was for. Give me a moment…", R said before stepping out.

Compa turned towards IF. "Are you feeling better, Iffy?"

IF hung her head. "...I'm still mad."

"Don't worry, Iffy! We'll fix your bike!", RED reassured.

"This isn't a game, RED. An engine costs a lot of money", IF sighed.

"I'll handle it! Just watch me! Once I get you that engine, I'll gain tons of affection points!", RED winked.

IF sighed. While she did want to have her bike fixed, she sincerely doubted someone like RED would honestly be able to help, and took her words with a grain of salt.

R returned to them with her findings. "The payment was posted as a bail for a certain criminal that was caught recently."

"A criminal?", Compa repeated.

R nodded. "Yes. A Ran-Ran known as… DanDan."

IF's eyes grew wide. "Y-you can't be serious." She got up from her seat and slammed her fists onto the table. "You mean to say that damn pig was working for AE?!"

"There is a connection, yes", R said, completely calm.

IF began to seethe with rage. Her vision became impaired and her head felt lightheaded. Compa took out her Sleep Syringe and stuck it into IF, causing the brunette to calm down. Compa whispered into IF's ear as she lost consciousness.

"It's okay, Iffy… It's okay."

**CHAPTER 14… PRIDE AND ACCOMPLISHMENT... END.**


	15. Eyes on the Top

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF's party takes the day off as other pieces begin to move...

IF drifted into a deep sleep, thanks to Compa's Sleep Syringe. Everyone in the room observed as IF slipped into Compa's arms. R cleared her throat.

"Interesting. According to the intelligence gained from Planeptune's guild, DanDan's prisoners were being forced to create sports equipment", she said.

The room fell silent, as everyone put two and two together in their heads.

"That's it! The missing link!", Nisa blurted out.

"Is this enough proof for the Oracle's?", Compa asked.

R nodded. "The evidence seems pretty decisive. I shall present it to the Oracle personally. I'll keep you updated. Now, if you'll excuse me..." R bowed before leading everyone outside of the interrogation room. She took out her phone and dialed a number as she exited the guild.

Compa carried IF over her shoulder, leading the way back to the guild's lobby. The party took a seat at one of the benches. The nurse set IF down so that she was sitting with her head on the table.

"Now what are we supposed to do?", Compa asked.

"Good question. I guess all we can do now is wait for some results", Nisa replied.

"Aww. That sounds boring!", RED sighed.

"Well, we do have some time to kill. Why don't we go look around Leanbox?", Nisa smirked.

"Yay! Time to look for some wifeys!", RED cheered.

"I'll patrol the streets and make sure Justice is being met!", Nisa winked.

"U-umm… what about Iffy? She's still asleep!", Compa said.

"Can't we just wake her up?", RED asked.

"I don't have the antidote for this solution…", Compa muttered.

"No worries! We'll just go buy one from a shop", Nisa replied.

* * *

"Sorry, we're all out", the store clerk said.

"What? Come on, you have to have at least one lying around!", Nisa said.

"Some guy bought a whole bunch. Said something about gaming for several weeks straight. I haven't had the time to restock", the clerk shrugged.

"Isn't there anywhere else where we could find the antidote?", Compa asked, holding IF bridal style.

The clerk eyed the party up and down. He moved in closely and lowered his voice. "There is… one place. But I can't promise they'll help you. They're usually in Lowee." The man took out a piece of paper and hastily wrote down an address and some instructions. He inspected the note twice over before handing it over to Nisa. "Now, you didn't hear this from me, alright?"

The group thanked the clerk and exited the shop, headed straight for the address he wrote down. The note directed them to go to a certain mall, and into a certain store. According to the letter, they had to get a few specific items and bring it to the register.

The cashier smiled at the party. "Did you find everything you're looking for?"

Nisa looked down at the note once more before answering. "Why, yes! We need a… er… cauldron?"

The cashier looked around the store before pressing several buttons on the cash register. The entrance of the store locked itself, and an entrance opened up behind the cash register.

The cashier smiled at them and beckoned the group. "Please, step this way."

Everyone looked at each other before stepping forth into the revealed passageway. It closed once they all walked through it. Surprisingly, it was quite spacious for a secret passageway. At the end of the concealed hallway, they found a door to another room. Nisa stepped forth and knocked on it a few times.

After a few moments, the door was opened by a little brunette sporting a blue dress, an apron and a bunny ear hat.

"Hello! Pleasure to meet you!", the girl said, "My name's Gust. How may I help you?"

"Huh? A child?", Nisa gasped. She paused for a moment and looked into the room behind Gust. "Where are your parents?"

"There's no need to worry about stuff like that", Gust smiled, "Now, why have you come here?"

Compa stepped forward, carrying IF in her arms. "Um… we need an antidote to wake up our sleeping friend."

"I see. How did this happen to her?", Gust replied.

"I hit her with my sleep syringe to calm her down. But I don't have the antidote with me!", Compa explained frantically.

"I see. I'll cook something up in a jiffy!", Gust smiled and invited everyone into the room. There were shelves everywhere with all kinds of ingredients, and a cauldron in the middle. Gust started zooming around the room, climbing up ladders to reach the ingredients she needed from each shelf. She would pick them out and throw them over her shoulder into the cauldron.

Every time an ingredient was dropped into the cauldron, it would create a smoke cloud. Sometimes it even sparked up, threatening anyone who was too close to it. After tossing in all the ingredients, Gust walked over to the cauldron and stirred it with a large ladle.

"Is this… alchemy?", Nisa muttered.

"Mhm! I can make just about anything! A simple potion is no problem for the likes of me!", Gust replied.

"Wow, that's amazing!", Compa cheered.

RED crossed her arms. "Could you also make a… love potion?"

Gust nodded. "Of course! But let's do everything one at a time, shall we?" After a few moments, a puff of smoke arose from the cauldron. Gust let go of the ladle and nodded at her work. "All done!" She took out an empty bottle and scooped up some of the potion up with it.

The little girl moved over to Compa, who was still holding IF. She brought the potion up to IF's lips and poured it into her mouth. After a few moments, IF coughed a little and opened her eyes.

The first person IF saw was Compa. "...Hm? ...C-Compa?!", she blurted out. She squirmed nervously in Compa's arms and fell onto the ground.

"Iffy? You're awake!", Compa cheered.

IF rubbed the back of her head and looked around. "Where… are we?"

"We're at an alchemist's lab. We had to get a potion to wake you up after Compa hit you with her syringe", Nisa explained.

"Oh yeah, now I remember. When we found out about DanDan", IF muttered.

Nisa nodded. "Glad that that's over with." She turned to face Gust. "How much do we owe you?"

Gust smiled. "You seem like a promising party… don't worry about paying me for now. I'll have you repay the favor someday!" Nisa gulped. She probably should've asked about payment first.

"N-never mind about that love potion. I'll just get wifeys the old fashioned way", RED smiled nervously.

"Thank you for helping us, Ms. Gust!", Compa bowed. The party left the room and traveled through the passageway back to the store at the front. They waved at the cashier as they made their way outside.

"So, what now?", IF asked.

"R said that she was going to show all the evidence to the Oracle. She'll let us know what their decision it", Nisa explained .

"Figures. Guess we've got some time to kill, now", IF shrugged.

RED gasped. "Wait, do you mean it?"

"Great to see you learned the value of free time!", Nisa grinned.

"Not like I could go for a ride on my bike or anything. Sure, let's cut loose", IF shrugged.

* * *

Meanwhile at AE, a meeting was underway in a conference room. Elsa sat at the head of a table with her arms crossed. Also at the table was Wyn, Ai, a lightly armored figure, and Underling.

Elsa leaned onto the table. "...Battlefront. Underling. Status report."

The armored person replied first. "A half dozen missions complete, just like the simulations."

Underling nodded. "Well I got that broad's bike, just like you asked. Took the engine out and everything", she shrugged, "I dunno what your beef with her is, but I guess it's none of my business to know."

"Yes, well, my bike got ruined by a bunch of dogoos. I'm just taking my rightful payment", Elsa replied. "...Ai? How about you?"

Ai grumbled to herself. "That IF and her party got in the way of our music! It ruined our plan completely."

"Hmph. How do I keep running into her?", Elsa thought to herself. She looked up towards Ai. "Such a terrible waste. Oh well. Guess I have to just recruit some more people..."

* * *

_Leanbox Basilicom_

R stood before the Leanbox Oracle, Chika Hakozaki, and a holographic screen of Planeptune's Oracle, Histoire. She had just finished presenting all of the evidence gained by the nation's efforts.

"These findings are, indeed, troublesome", Histoire responded.

"To think somebody from the fabulous city of Leanbox would commit such atrocities…", Chika muttered.

R nodded. "It' looks like they've…", she began to take off her shades, "...struck out."

Histoire stared at R with a blank expression. "Um… excuse me?"

Chika clapped. "How stylish!"

Histoire shook her head. "A-anyway. Your request for a warrant has been granted."

R put her shades back on and nodded. "I will have a party mobilize as soon as possible." She bowed before turning around and taking her leave.

Chika turned to face the holographic display of Histoire. "We should let our counterparts in Lowee and Lastation know about this, too. AE has a huge sphere of influence across Gamindustri."

"Y-yes, of course…", Histoire replied.

* * *

IF's party was having a girl's night out, complete with shopping, eating, and visiting tourist attractions. They eventually ran into a blocked off street in the middle of the city. Nisa went up to ask what was going on.

"We're filming a movie, ma'am!", an officer said.

"Whoa, seriously? I wonder who's in it", IF said.

RED's eyes glew. A _celebrity_ wifey? Such a thought was completely irresistible to the short redhead. She shoved her way through the crowd to the front to get a better look.

A blonde woman stood before an ancient dragon with a large blade in hand. The monster roared at her, and flew in to tackle her. At the last possible second, the woman dashed behind the dragon and dispatched it with a single strike. The dragon fell flat on the ground, lifeless. The blonde stylishly sheathed her weapon before delivering her single line: "Heh. Too easy."

"Aaaand cut!", someone shouted.

A bunch of people shuffled around to take care of different things. The blonde woman took a deep breath and walked off towards the sidelines.

RED looked around. "Yowza! Who's that cool lady?"

"Do you live under a rock? That's S-Sha! One of the best adventurers in all of Gamindustri!", a stranger replied.

RED's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Even BETTER!", she said. She climbed over the barricades and ran onto the set, running right for S-Sha. The blonde turned around and noticed the redhead approach her.

"Hm? Who're you?", S-Sha muttered.

"My name's RED! And you're my wifey candidate!", the short girl blurted out.

S-Sha eyed RED up. "Oh, I see. You're a fan."

"S-Sha!", someone else called out. Both S-Sha and RED turned to see who it was. There were three women. One had brown hair and blue armor, along with a dogoo-shaped shield. The next one was blonde with a bikini-top and skirt. The last one, had silver hair and black and white outfit made up of a vest, a skirt and boots.

The girl with the shield spoke up. "Your performance was legendary!", she said.

The blonde nodded. "It was a spectacle that roared fiercely into the hearts of the viewers. Bravo."

The silver haired girl gave a shy smile. "G-great job…"

S-Sha nodded at them. "Thanks, everyone. One second- this fan wants my autograph."

RED was even happier than before. Not just one, but _four_ wifey candidates were before her. She froze in place before S-Sha and her party.

"E-Sha, could you give me a note to write on?", S-Sha said.

The silver-haired woman nodded and took a paper and pen out of her… somewhere… and handed it to S-Sha. S-Sha scribbled her name onto it and looked up to look at RED. "So, who do I make this out to? RED?"

"Yup!", the redhead said gleefully.

S-Sha smiled at her and scribbled her name onto the paper. She handed it over to RED with a nod. "Stay safe now, okay?" And with that, S-Sha and her party walked off somewhere.

RED was ecstatic- this autograph was clearly a proclamation of love! With her head in the clouds, she somehow made her way back to her party spectating on the sidelines.

"RED! Did you meet the movie star? What was she like?", Nisa asked.

"She gave me a note proclaiming her love to me!", RED replied.

"I doubt that's what happened", IF said bluntly.

"Ohhh. Don't tell me- you're jealous?", RED said with a smirk.

IF sighed. "Yeah, no."

RED giggled. "Anyway, her name's S-Sha! Some guy told me she's one of the best adventurers in Gamindustri! She also has her own party who came to see her!"

IF's expression changed immediately. _Now_ she was jealous.

"Wow. I've never seen a movie being filmed before!", Compa commented.

"Indeed. I look forward to seeing what sort of justice will be displayed on the big screen!", Nisa said with a thumbs up.

"W-whatever. Let's keep going", IF stuttered.

As they walked away from the film set, IF thought to herself. She didn't care about being a movie-star, but she couldn't help but feel envy towards the clearly superior adventurer. One day, she vowed, one day she'd be the one who people will look to as a shining example of an adventurer.

**CHAPTER 15… EYES ON THE TOP.. END.**


	16. The Search for Doc P

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF runs into a certain magician and helps her find a legendary soft drink.

"Damn it, why do I always end up having to do all the dirty work?", Underling groaned. She walked with her hands buried into her hoodie's pockets and sighed. After all, how could she complain? She was getting paid just to recruit people into her new boss' party. She turned a corner and almost bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch where you're go-", Underling barked, only barely able to hold back her temper. She eyed up the girl in front of her. She had blue hair and a white coat along with a hat that could belong to a sorceress. All of this was topped off with a red tie and a staff that curved into a hook at the end.

Underling gulped. "H-hey there! You look like an adventurer. Wanna join a party?", she said to the girl.

"...Hm. Perhaps joining a party would make my duty simpler", the girl muttered. She held her chin and closed her eyes before giving the green-haired girl an answer. "I'm looking for a soft drink. Have you ever heard of 'Doc P'?", she replied.

Underling tilted her head in confusion before shrugging. "S-sure! We can help you find it! Whatever you want!", she put her arm around the girl's shoulders and whispered into her ear. "And between you and me, the pay's not to bad, either."

The blue-haired girl stood, unphased by how touchy Underling was being. "...Very well. It would help if I had some allies to help me look."

The girl's answer was like music to Underling's ears. She couldn't help but smile widely, proud of her accomplishment. This was already going better than she thought.

* * *

IF sat on a bench in the park, leaning forward as she browsed the internet on her phone. Everyone else was on their own exploring Leanbox. The brunette sighed, having read all the recent posts on Neppit. Suddenly, she heard someone call her name, which caused her to raise her head up and look around.

"Oh hey, .5pb. Hey, Cave", IF muttered.

"You don't look so good. Is everything alright?", .5pb asked.

IF stayed quiet for a few moments. "I'm… fine."

Cave crossed her arms. "You don't look that way. What troubles you?"

IF looked down, at her feet. "Fine, you're right", she sighed. "My bike's engine got stolen."

.5b gasped. "That's terrible!"

"I know who did it, too. Some rich girl named Elsa, and her posse", IF continued. She looked up and looked the two girls in the eye. "...I also feel pretty incompetent. I ran into a film set where someone named S-Sha was filming a pretty big movie. She's way above where I'm at…"

"Aw, don't feel bad, IF. Nobody starts out at their best!", .5pb said.

"Even .5pb still gets stage fright, despite her talents", Cave added.

IF looked at .5pb. "Whoa, seriously?" She looked at the ground once more and took a deep breath.

"With enough confidence, you'll be able to achieve whatever you set out to do!", .5pb winked.

"Hm… yeah. I think I get it. Thanks for that", IF nodded.

Cave looked around. "Where's the rest of your party?", she asked.

IF turned to face Cave. "They went ahead to check out the city. I… was feeling kinda down, so I stayed here."

.5pb smiled. "Why don't you come with us? We're going to go get something to eat."

IF nodded. "Sure, I could use a bite right about now." She put her phone away and pushed herself off the bench. "Shall we?"

* * *

The trio went to a food court for some _real_ Leanbox cuisine. Tacos, burritos, pizzas, french fries, and more. As IF was waiting in line for some coffee, she continued to browse the internet on her phone. She lost track of time and was snapped back into reality when people ahead of her started expressing their disgust at the person in front of the line.

"Ma'am, could you please explain what you're looking for?", the cashier said.

The blue-haired girl up front struck a pose. "The ultimate thirst quencher. A drink that transcends the mere values of time and space, a common thread between all dimensions… Doc P."

The cashier did a double take, unsure of what they just heard. "Ma'am, this is a cafe. We'd be forced out of business if we served duck pee."

The girl shook her head. "No, you misunderstand. Doc P, not duck pee."

"Get a move on!", someone in the line shouted.

The blue-haired girl looked behind her at the growing line. "...Very well. I will continue my search elsewhere." She tipped her hat and took her leave, going elsewhere for her search for the "ultimate thirst quencher".

IF watched the girl leave and shrugged. "Not my problem...", she thought.

The line sped up a little, with the baristas behind the counter rushing everyone's orders with well-practiced precision. When IF's order was ready, she instinctively read the name on the cup, "Aieffu". IF sighed. Close enough.

IF took a sip of her coffee as she walked over to a seat at one of the booths. A few minutes later, .5pb and Cave came to take their seat.

"Forgive us for taking so long. We ran into someone who was looking for… Doc P", Cave muttered.

"Oh, I know who you're talking about. Some girl with a white coat and blue hair, right?", IF replied.

.5pb shook her head. "This girl had a gray hoodie and green hair."

"Like a rat?", IF asked.

"Yeah! A rat hoodie!", .5pb answered.

"...I know who you mean. That's the girl who took my bike!", IF said. She shook her head and sighed. "Anyway, you said she was looking for Doc P?"

"Yeah. But it sounds like she's not the only one looking for it", Cave said.

"I've never heard of a drink of that name before…", .5pb muttered.

IF took her phone out and looked up "Doc P". All she found was several forum posts made by the username "Hououin Kyouma". Each post became more and more desperate as it became clear that only Kyouma seems to have heard of such a drink. Everyone else accused them of being a troll and ridiculed them for coming up with a conspiracy theory.

"Find anything?", Cave asked.

"Some sort of conspiracy about an Organization deleting a flavor of soda out of existence. The OP was pretty confident about this claim", IF explained.

"Maybe that girl you saw is the same person", .5pb suggested.

"Who knows", IF shrugged, "It may as well be, since nobody else seems to be buying it."

"We should check it out. Judge for ourselves whether it's a legitimate claim or not", Cave suggested.

"Sure, why not? She should still be around here somewhere", IF answered.

After searching for a few minutes, they found the lonely magician failing to get anyone's attention.

"There she is", IF pointed out.

.5pb eyed the girl up and down before stepping forward.

"Hello! Do you need any help?", the idol asked.

The magician turned to face the group, a smiling creeping onto her face. "Finally. Someone familiar."

"Huh?", .5pb responded, "...Have we met?"

"Not quite. I have met you three before… in another dimension", the stranger said boldly. She smiled at the group before her before continuing. "My name is MAGES.. My goal is to ensure the safety of Doc P."

IF crossed her arms. "Hold on. Did you just say you met us in another dimension?"

MAGES. giggled. "That's right. I wield powers that allow me to transcend the limitations of both time and space!"

"You can travel to other dimensions, but you can't even find a can of soda?", IF asked.

"...A minor setback", MAGES. grumbled as her cheeks turned red.

"Is there anything we can do to help?", .5pb asked.

MAGES. closed her eyes and held her chin for a moment, in quiet contemplation. "Hm… I suppose you can." She looked around the food court before returning her attention to the trio. "Wait. There's someone else who's helping me look."

"That green haired girl? You could forget about her. She's nothing but a lowly underling out to cause trouble", IF scoffed.

"...Very well then. Let's speak outside", MAGES. suggested.

* * *

The girls walked out of the food court and stood by a nearby water fountain. Suddenly, MAGES. hopped up onto the edge of the fountain and pointed her staff towards her new companions.

"Clearly, we are too late to save Doc P in this dimension", MAGES. said in a confident tone.

"What do you propose?", Cave asked.

"We must return… to a time where Doc P was still here", MAGES. replied.

"Time travel? Did you even find any proof that it existed here in the first place?", IF spoke up.

MAGES. nodded to herself. "...Good point." She looked up and stared at IF's party for a few moments before continuing to speak. "I see. Then perhaps we could fix this some other way."

"Oh, I know! Maybe you could try re-creating the formula for the soda and selling it here!", .5pb said.

MAGES. shakes her head. "Impossible. Such a beverage is too sacred to recreate on demand."

"I'm willing to bet that you just don't know what the formula is", IF replied.

"...I know someone who can help", Cave spoke up.

"You don't mean Gust, do you? I already owe her a favor…", IF muttered.

"No, though not a bad idea. I know someone else who should be able to help", Cave replied, "I'll call her over." The redhead took out her phone and made a call. After about fifteen minutes, the group was greeted by a little girl carrying a large, round object.

"Here you are, nyu", the little girl said.

"Thank you for coming", Cave replied.

"I came here as soon as possible, nyu. So, you need help crafting something?", the little girl asked.

Cave turned to face the group. "This is Broccoli. She has all kinds of info."

Broccoli looked up at IF's party. "Pleasure to meet you, nyu."

IF eyed up the little girl, a hint of confusion on her face. "If I hadn't already met a smart little girl, I'd be more surprised."

"You need to learn to not underestimate people, nyu", Broccoli scoffed.

"We need help trying to come up with a drink. Can you help us?", .5pb said.

Broccoli nodded. "It shouldn't be too hard, nyu. There's an urban myth about a secret soda flavor being hidden somewhere beneath Leanbox, nyu."

"What are the odds that this is even the same flavor we're looking for?", IF spoke up.

Broccoli turned to IF. "Do you have any better ideas, nyu?"

"It's the only lead we have and I'm willing to take it. We must find and distribute any traces of Doc P we can find if we're to prevent a catastrophe from occurring", MAGES. replied.

IF shrugged, having lost all control of the conversation. Cave turned to Broccoli. "Lead the way."

* * *

The party made their way to one of Leanbox's underground train stations. The area was as busy as you'd expect a subway in a big city would be. Broccoli got on top of her round companion, who she referred to as "Gema", and lead the way. "Trust me here, nyu", Broccoli assured them. They walked to the end of the platform and waited for the next train to leave the station before jumping onto the tracks and dashing into the tunnel.

According to the electronic signs in the station, they had about eight minutes to reach their destination before the next train arrived. Not wanting to get hit by a train fueled their advance through the tracks. Aside from Broccoli, Cave was the most at ease with this, as she would probably be able to merely dodge any approaching trains.

Suddenly, Gema hopped aside into an opening on the side of the tracks, quickly followed by everyone else.

"I can't believe we just did that!", .5pb spoke up.

"Didn't I tell you to trust me, nyu?", Broccoli replied.

A few seconds later, a train roared pass them. IF sighed in relief. MAGES. raised her staff up and tapped the ground with it. "If we were in any danger, I could've just teleported us away."

The opening led to a hallway, which Broccoli rode Gema into. "Not too far now, nyu."

The party followed the little girl further into the tunnel until they reached another dimly lit opening. Torches lit up the room, allowing them to barely see anything. At the back of the room was what looked like an altar, with a bottle resting upon it.

IF squinted her eyes. "Is that…?"

"Doc P...", MAGES. blurted out.

MAGES. stepped forward to claim the treasure for herself, only for a gunshot to stop her.

"You shall go no further", a voice rang out.

Everyone brought out their weapons and looked around the room.

"Who goes there?", MAGES. asked.

From the shadows, a woman with green hair and red eyes emerged. She kept a gun pointed at IF's party, threatening to shoot once more should any of them attempt to go any further. "My name is Vio. I can not let you retrieve this cursed drink."

"Cursed?", .5pb asked.

Vio nodded. "It contains a virus that must not be spread. Turn back now or I'll be forced to shoot."

"That's preposterous. Doc P is the ultimate beverage!", MAGES. barked.

"I won't let you have it!", Vio shouted. She took aim and fired a shot at MAGES., only for IF to dash over and deflect the shot with her weapons.

"Can't we all just get along, nyu?", Broccoli grumbled.

"Please, don't fight! Can't we talk this out?!", .5pb pleaded.

"Not a chance. I won't let the future die over a soft drink!", Vio replied.

MAGES. appeared surprised. "The 'future'...? Don't tell me. You're a time traveler?"

"Indeed. My mission is to prevent the virus within this drink from spreading into the population", Vio said.

"What virus?", MAGES. asked.

Vio stood up straight. "...The Z Virus. Anyone who drinks this beverage will turn into a zombie."

"What a predicament, nyu…", Broccoli sighed.

"I don't understand. What makes you think that there's a virus in it?", MAGES. asked.

Vio eyed MAGES. up and down. "The organization I work for-"

"I knew it", MAGES. interrupted, "The organization strikes again…"

"Excuse me?", Vio muttered.

MAGES. pointed her staff towards Vio. "You are being fooled. The organization is trying to prevent Doc P from spreading so that they can't be opposed!"

Vio put her gun away and reached for something behind herself. "How can I take your word for it? You're clearly mad!", she shouted. Suddenly, she pulled out a rocket launcher and fired it upon IF's party.

MAGES. conjured a spell and blasted the incoming projectile into smithereens. Cave grabbed .5pb and dived for cover, while IF and Broccoli got ready for battle.

"Good grief. This went from bad to worse in no time, nyu!", Broccoli said.

"I should've stayed in the food court…" IF thought to herself. She ran up towards Vio and launched her own attack towards her. "Demon Flames!", she shouted. A barrage of flames shot out from her weapons towards Vio.

The green haired attacker returned fire, her rockets intercepting IF's flames before they could get too close. Vio began to focus her firing on IF, giving Broccoli a chance to counter-attack. The small brunette leaped forward with Gema in hand. Her eyes shined as she charged her mighty attack.

"Mekara Beam!", Broccoli cried out. Energy gathered around her eyes before she finally unleashed her devastating attack- or, she would have, if it hadn't failed. Twin streams of brown liquid poured out of her eyes and onto the floor beneath herself.

IF continued to draw Vio's fire, running and evading her attacks like a ninja. MAGES. fired another spell, forcing Vio to evade. IF took note and moved in towards Vio herself, eager to get up close and personal with her. She closed the distance between herself and the rocket launcher, who was being backed into a corner by MAGES.'s spells. Vio switched targets, now returning fire against MAGES.'s attacks. They were equally matched, until a cry rang out across the room.

"Mekara Beam!", Broccoli shouted. Twin beams came out of her eyes and blasted Vio. The green-haired girl was sent flying into the wall and became stunned upon impact. She fell to her knees, gasping for air. When she looked up, she was greeted by IF pointing her weapons at her.

"Not another move", the brunette ordered. Vio sighed, raising her hands in a show of surrender. Cave peaked from her cover and stood up with .5pb. MAGES. tipped her hat and walked over to the altar to claim the fabled Doc P.

"Item secured", MAGES. muttered.

IF looked down at Vio. "Sheesh. Now I feel like the bad guy here." Broccoli walked up and stood next to IF.

Broccoli shook her head. "Don't be, nyu. She's the one who shot first."

MAGES. began to open the bottle, only to be interrupted by Vio. "Don't do it. You'll… doom us all."

The magician locked eyes with Vio. "I'll prove to you that there is no virus." She gripped the cap firmly and twisted it until she heard a hissing sound before bringing it to her lips to take a quick sip. She waited a few moments before speaking once more. "...See? No virus."

Vio looked on in surprise, fully expecting to see some sort of zombification take place. "I… I was fooled…", she muttered, "...I'm sorry."

MAGES. resealed the bottle before putting it away. "Apology accepted. Now… let's get out of here."

* * *

The party waited for a train to pass before stepping back onto the tracks and fleeing to the nearest train station to make their leave. They walked back to the fountain in front of the food court before stopping.

"So, about that organization…", MAGES. spoke up, "...You've been lied to, to do their dirty work."

"I see that now", Vio replied, "I'm willing to repay the favor by helping you spread Doc P across the land. It's the least I could do for troubling you."

"I'll help too, nyu", Broccoli said.

Broccoli, MAGES. and Vio bid farewell to IF, .5pb and Cave before leaving to reverse engineer the soft drink. IF's trio talked for a bit before .5pb (and by extension, Cave) had to go do official idol business. IF was once more, all alone. She decided to return to the food court and buy another snack to eat, only to run into another girl with green hair.

IF grumbled. "Oh, it's _you_."

"O-oh! H-hey there…", Underling stuttered. "N-no hard feelings about the bike, right?"

"Did you think I'd forgive you so soon after messing it up?!", IF barked.

"Hey, I'm just trying to make a living here!", Underling replied.

"That doesn't make it okay to mess with people's property!", IF said, "Can't you go a single day without ruining things for people!"

"Whoa, low blow! You barely even know me!", Underling barked back.

"Sure I do. You're an underling who does other people's dirty work for a quick buck!", IF scoffed.

"Damn it, there it is again! You don't even know my freaking name!", Underling said.

"Who cares? You're nothing more than an underling, and that's all you'll ever be!", IF growled.

"Oh yeah? Well you're just a freaking broad!", Underling said.

Both girls continued to go back and forth until a blinding flash went off between them, knocking them both out cold…

**CHAPTER 16… THE SEARCH FOR DOC P... END.**


	17. (Tell Me) Your Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF and Underling wake up to find something's not quite right...

IF groaned as her eyes fluttered, finally regaining consciousness. She pushed herself up and noticed something wasn't quite right. Her arms felt… lighter… than usual. When she took a look at them, she saw that she was no longer wearing her favorite oversized coat and was instead outfitted with a gray hoodie. Her midriff was exposed and her skin was an awfully pale. She looked in front of her and her eyes widened with shock at the sight- her very own body, standing in front of her.

"Ugh… what the hell just happened?", IF's body said. The "reflection" rubbed her head and looked around until she paused, her eyes now fixated on IF. "Oh, you've gotta be friggin' kidding me…"

A crowd began to look on in confusion, their curiosity piqued by the sudden bright flash that occurred between the two girls.

"...Let's talk about this outside", IF suggested. Though reluctant, her body (now being occupied by the underling) followed her.

Now at a comfortable distance from the crowd, they continued their mutual freakout.

"What the hell did you do?!", Underling blurted out.

IF shrugged. "Don't go blaming this on me. I'm just as confused as you are."

Underling fanned herself with IF's sleeves before just taking the coat off completely. "How the hell do you run around with this thing everywhere?"

IF lowered Underling's mouse hood. "I could say the same to you. I mean really, a rat? What's the deal with that?"

"I'm not about to take fashion advice from some broad who can't even wear clothes the right size!", Underling barked.

"T-there's nothing wrong with that! It's stylish, and allows me to gracefully defeat anyone I come across while being super comfy!", IF replied.

Underling scoffed. "Who the hell cares about that sort of crap? Just whack 'em in the head and be done with it."

IF crossed her arms. "I guess since you're an underling, you're too cowardly to do anything other than hit and run."

"Says the chick who calls herself 'dust in the wind' or whatever", Underling said.

"Gust of Wind", IF sighed, "And there's a huge difference between dancing around your foes and running away from them."

"Not like you'd go very far with this stupid heavy coat on", Underling grumbled.

"You'll get used to it. Wait, no you won't!", IF blurted out, "We need to find a way to reverse this thing!"

"And how in the unholy hell are we supposed to do that?!", Underling groaned.

IF held her chin (or rather, Underling's chin) in quiet contemplation. "I think I know someone who can help. Give me my phone."

Underling looked around, with a confused look on her face. "Where do you keep your phone?"

"In one of the pouches. Here, I'll just get it myself." IF walked over and reached into one of the pouches, gripping her phone before pulling her hand out. She then proceeded to dial a number and brought the phone to her ear. It rang only once before being picked up. "Cave here."

"Hey, Cave. Sorry to bother you so soon, but I'm in a little predicament", IF said.

"You call this _little_?!", Underling said, in the background. IF rolled her eyes before explaining what happened to Cave.

"I see", Cave replied, "May I suggest a visit to Mistress Gust?"

"I thought about that, but I don't wanna owe here another favor", IF sighed.

"Who gives a crap? Any favor we'd have to do is totally worth it!", Underling shouted.

IF sighed and said "goodbye" to Cave before hanging up. She kept her phone to herself instead of handing it back to Underling.

"So? Where we goin'?", Underling muttered.

"Would you shut up already?", IF snapped, "I'm still pissed about you stealing my bike, you know. You're not exactly in the position to rush me."

Underling flinched in embarrassment. "I-I said I'm sorry, okay?", she muttered, "It wasn't anything personal."

"Sheesh. Don't you have a conscience? Why the hell would you agree to steal someone's stuff in the first place?", IF asked.

"I've gotta pay the bills somehow, dammit!", Underling said.

IF squinted her eyes. "Haven't you tried getting a job?"

Underling stared at the ground. "Of course I have. I almost never get any call-backs at all."

"Gee, you're that desperate, huh?", IF said with a sigh.

"I tried doing things the right way, and I've got nothing to show for it", Underling muttered.

"You're the common denominator. Maybe you're the problem", IF suggested.

Underling shook her head. "Not that I expected a squeaky clean broad like you to understand."

IF sighed before turning around. "C'mon. We've got an alchemist to see."

The reluctant body-swapped duo made their way to Gust's shop post-haste. They were both silent as they traveled. Whether it was because of the tension between them, or simply having nothing to talk about was unknown. Once they were before the small alchemist, they explained what happened.

Gust nodded until IF and Underling finished talking. "A freaky Friday indeed", she said.

Underling eyed the small girl up in confusion, doubting her abilities to help them at all.

"Do you think you can fix this?", IF asked.

"Hm. This is pretty tricky. My alchemy doesn't have that kind of magic", Gust explained. IF and Underling both sighed in disappointment.

"Don't you know any other broads who can fix this?", Underling blurted out.

Gust turned to Underling. "Not quite. Perhaps a sorcerer of some sort would be more helpful?"

"Figures. Well, thanks for the advice", IF replied.

Gust waved as IF and Underling made their leave. "If you need some kind of potions, you know where to find me!"

Once outside, Underling began to grumble. "Whose ass do we have to kick so we can get this switcheroo crap fixed?! Who did I piss off to deserve this?! Why can't things just go smoothly for once?!"

"Would you shut up? You don't see me whining about all of this, do you?", IF interrupted, "Don't you have any friends who could help?"

Underling stared at IF for a moment, in silence. "...Wait. There's that crazy chick who was looking for that soda."

IF paused for a second. "You mean MAGES.?"

Underling nodded. "Yeah, with the blue hair and a witch hat."

"Good idea. I'll give her a call", IF replied. She dialed a number on her phone and waited patiently for MAGES. to answer.

"Greetings. Who is this?", MAGES.'s voice said.

"It's me, IF. I just helped you find Doc P earlier."

"Password?", MAGES. muttered.

"Password? What do you mean?", IF said, confused.

"Oh, I know this one", Underling said. "It was something like… El, Sigh, Kangaroo…?"

"Close enough", MAGES. replied, "Do you have need of my assistance?"

IF smiled at Underling as she spoke into the phone. "Do you happen to know anything about switching bodies?"

"Hm", MAGES. replied, "I believe I've dabbled in such experiments before. Why?"

"Me and Underling switched bodies somehow", IF muttered.

"...Underling? Oh, you must mean my temporary assistant", MAGES. said, "...Very well. Meet me at the electronics store at this and that avenue."

After that, MAGES. closed the phone. IF sighed. "Doesn't anyone say 'bye' anymore?"

"Who the hell cares? Let's go and have this crap resolved already", Underling blurted out.

IF scoffed. "It's not like I'm enjoying this either."

* * *

The reluctant duo arrived at the meeting spot post-haste, eager to put an end to this odd conundrum. They looked around for a few minutes before finally finding the mad magician.

"So, you've come…", MAGES. muttered.

"The hell are you on about? You already knew we were coming", Underling barked, with IF's mouth.

MAGES. looked back and forth between the two girls. "I see… so you truly managed to switch bodies."

IF nodded. "Any idea how to solve this?"

The blue-haired magician held her chin in quiet contemplation. "I believe we can use the devices here to create a homemade body switching device."

"Can you really do that?", IF asked.

"Fufufu… do not underestimate me. I am MAGES., the mad magician! Such a task is trivial for me!", MAGES. said, striking a pose.

IF stared in disbelief, surprised to meet someone other than Nisa who posed unironically in public. She looked at Underling, who looked back at IF, silently exchanging the same thought among themselves before looking back at MAGES.

MAGES. continued, "Give me but a few moments. I shall demonstrate the scope of my abilities through magic, and science! Fufufu… hahahaha!"

MAGES. began to tinker a nearby microwave as IF and Underling gazed on. It wasn't long before MAGES. proudly turned around and showed them her latest invention.

"Behold… the FGL-007, Body Switcher!", MAGES. announced.

"It looks like a damn microwave", Underling blurted out.

"Well, she _did_ use an actual microwave", IF shrugged.

MAGES. adjusted her hat. "What was once a kitchen appliance, is now a tool that defies the very fabric of creation... Come, see for yourself." She approached the device and picked up a helmet. When she turned around, IF and Underling had taken a few steps back.

"I see… so you're not convinced", MAGES. muttered.

IF crossed her arms. "Are you sure that thing's safe?"

MAGES. nodded. "I am 90% sure."

"What's the other 10% supposed to be?", Underling asked.

"It's possible… that your brains would melt instead", MAGES replied.

IF and Underling stared back at the magician in shock.

"Come now, I'm merely joking", MAGES. chuckled, "I'm 95% sure."

"Let's just get this over with", IF shrugged. IF walked up and pulled back the hood Underling normally has over her head, before picking up one of the helmets and placing it onto her (Underling's) head. Underling, in IF's body, was more hesitant. After a deep sigh, she followed suit and put the remaining helmet on.

Both of their helmets were hooked up to a microwave, which was connected to a telephone landline. "Let's make this quick before security sees us. I haven't actually paid for any of this stuff", MAGES. blurted out. Before her two test subjects could say anything, she took out her phone and dialed a number. The phone connected to the microphone rang, causes the microwave itself to turn on. The microwave produced an electric shock to both girls wearing the pair of helmets.

After a few moments, their minds went blank. When they came to, they were both on the ground with MAGES. looking over them.

"Did it… work?", IF mumbled. She sat up and looked at her hands... Or rather, Underling's hands.

"I should've known you were all talk…", Underling groaned.

MAGES. closed her eyes and thought to herself. "Odd. This should've been a resounding success. Perhaps if I… yes…" She nodded to herself as she began to mumble unintelligibly. As she continued to think out loud, IF and Underling got up and removed their helmets.

MAGES. continued to mumble. "Mhm. Yes. I see now. Hehehe." She looked up and made eye contact with the two girls. "Twenty-four hours. That's how long I need to get this to work. Mark my words, I shall hack into the gates of fate and find the perfect solution! ...Hehehe. Hahaha! Mwahahahaha!"

"Like hell I'm gonna run around with someone else's mug!", Underling barked.

"Not like we have a choice", IF sighed.

"What are we supposed to do? Pretend to be each other until tomorrow?", Underling replied.

IF crossed her arms. "You mean like what you did back on the boat?", IF asked, "I can't do that. I know nothing about you." She sighed and shook her head. "How about we meet up with my party? We'll just explain everything to them and wait this out."

"...Sure, why not. Not like I have to go back to work tomorrow", Underling said.

Soon after the two exited the electronics store, they bumped into RED.

"Iffy! And… wait, aren't you that cute punk girl who pretended to be Iffy?", RED asked.

"Listen, RED. We switched bodies. We found someone who can help, but they said they need a day to figure it out", IF said.

RED stared at Underling's body, confused. After a few moments to process what was going on, the redhead grinned. "So, IF is in Underling's body, and Underling is in IF's? ...This means I've gained a new wifey!"

IF facepalmed, while Underling stared back at RED disbelief. "The hell? I'm not gonna be your wife, kid! I'm not trying to get arrested here…"

RED's face was filled with surprise. "Hey! I'm old enough to get married, you know!"

IF turned around and clutched her phone before dialing a number. She called both Nisa and Compa over, and within fifteen minutes, they were all reunited.

"I have to say, it's hard to get used to this", Nisa said, facing Underling's body.

IF crossed her arms. "You won't have to. Hopefully we can get this resolved tomorrow."

"Even though I understand what's going on, it's still kind of confusing", Compa added.

"Hmph. So, what do you broads do for fun?", Underling asked.

"Well, we originally came here on business. We're just sticking around… to see what happens next", Nisa replied.

"Sounds pretty freaking boring", Underling shrugged.

"At least we're not stealing bikes…", IF grumbled to herself.

"Can't you get over that already?", Underling replied, trying to avoid eye-contact.

"Hey, you know what? How about we all go sneak into AE, and get my engine back?", IF suggested.

"We'll just get kicked out again!", RED replied.

"Good point… but wait, _I_ won't!", IF smirked. She turned to face Underling. "Come on. Help me with this, and I'll forget all about you stealing my bike."

Underling stared back. "Well, if it gets you off my ass, then I might as well."

* * *

The party hid in a bush across the street from AE headquarters. They poked their heads out before retreating back into cover.

"Okay. Does everyone know the plan?", IF asked. With a nod back from everyone, IF stepped out of the bush and began to walk towards the building. Before walking through the sliding doors, she turned back to look at her party and gave them a thumbs up. After taking a moment to realize her sleeve wasn't covering her hand, she turned back around and walked into the building.

She presented Underling's ID card to pass the turnstile and fiddled around with her phone to kill time. Suddenly, her party burst through the sliding doors and jumped the turnstiles (Compa had some help from Nisa).

"Hey! Over here, you bozos!", Underling shouted.

"You can't do that!", one guard shouted, "Get them!"

The party split up in two groups of two, and ran deeper into the building while being tailed by several security guards.

IF took this opening to start freely traveling through the building without anyone knowing the wiser. Having Underling's body ended up making things far easier than they already were, given that security had its hands full. She ran through the hallways searching for where Underling told her that her bike's engine was being stored.

When she finally found the room, she took a deep breath and opened the door. As her eyes scanned the inside, she froze once they grew fixated on a figure within the room.

"Why, hello there", the person said, their voice altered by the helmet on their head. It wasn't until she heard their voice that IF recognized who she was looking at- the person who found Elsa's bike, back in Planeptune. She sported the same white space-armor and helmet she was wearing when they first encountered each other.

IF gulped before replying, realizing she would be fine if she kept up the act. "H-hey! Don't mind me. Just came to… fetch something."

The armored figure stared at IF up and down. "...Have we met?", she asked, "You can call me Battlefront."

IF stared back and smiled. " _Crap, what's Underling's real name?_ ", she thought. After a brief moment of contemplation, she replied, "Nice to meet ya… I'm an underling."

Battlefront tilted their head. "I guess _someone_ has to do the dirty work. I can respect that."

"Yup, that's me! Gotta pound the pavement, you know?", IF chuckled nervously. "Just another disposable worker here."

The armored figure nodded. "Disposable? Perhaps that is true... No, everyone has to start somewhere. You'll climb the ranks, eventually."

"Y-yeah! That's right! Hahaha... ", IF's eyes darted around quickly, looking for her bike's engine. "Well, don't mind me! I'm just running an errand…"

"Is there any way I can help?", Battlefront asked.

"N-nope! I got this. Don't mind me!", IF replied. She began to scramble through the boxes within the storage room, awkwardly getting away from Battlefront to avoid further questioning.

* * *

RED and Underling ended up grouping up with each other as they were being chased through the building. Though they were able to evade capture for a while, it didn't take long until they were finally cornered.

"Hands up! Nobody move!", one of the guards shouted.

Underling cussed internally as she raised her hands. RED, however, was more defiant. Eager to stall for as long as possible, she stepped forward and took out one of her deadliest weapons.

"Look out, she's armed!", one guard shouted.

"She's got a… a… toy?", another guard said.

"What the hell are you doing with that thing?!", Underling barked.

"Prepare to be amazed!", RED called out, holding a kendama tightly. She waved it around, causing the red ball to move through the air before retracting it back to the base.

The guards stared at the redhead in confusion. "Sir… what do we do?", one guard asked another.

"Hold on…", another guard replied, "...This is pretty cool."

Underling looked at the guards, then at RED, then back to the guards. "You've gotta be freaking kidding me", she muttered to herself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nisa and Compa were both already escorted out of the building, without putting up any resistance. They waited with each other patiently across the street from the building.

"I ran as fast as I could, but I still got caught…", Compa sighed.

"We played are parts the best we could. All we can do now is wait and pray for their success!", Nisa replied.

* * *

After around fifteen minutes of looking, IF finally found the bike engine inside a box. She took a deep breath and picked it up, before making her way outside.

"Alright, I've got what I came for, see ya 'round", IF blurted out as she exited the room. It was smooth sailing for her, from then on out. At least, she wished it was. As the door to the hallway opened, IF was met with a familiar obstacle…

"E-Elsa?", IF stuttered.

"Huh? What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to go find more recruits for our party?", the rich girl replied.

IF panicked internally. _What was she going to say?_ She cleared her throat before giving her reply. "I just thought I'd, er, sell this for some… quick cash?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow and peered into the box, a task made simple with her height advantage over Underling's body. "This is… Leafy's bike engine?"

IF held her breath nervously, before exhaling as she blurted out her next sentence. "I was gonna sell it back to her and milk her for all her cash!"

Elsa crossed her arms. "...Whatever, not like I was going to use it for anything." She stepped aside and allowed IF to go through. IF didn't waste a second and speed-walked past the athletic girl, eager to make her exit as quick as possible.

Around the corner she went, and she began to move as fast as she could, considering her fairly heavy payload. As she traveled, she noticed that there were some guards watching RED put up a performance for them with her variety of toys as Underling watched on in disbelief.

IF stopped in her tracks and tried to signal RED and Underling by holding her box up and waving it around. RED was way too into her performance to notice anything, while Underling was quick to recognize her own body from afar. Underling stepped forward between RED and the guards and spoke up.

"Shouldn't you broads be kicking us out by now?!", Underling shouted.

The guards snapped out of their apparent trance and looked at each other. "Oh, right…", one of them replied, "Put your hands up! And no more toys!"

RED held her sleeves as she put her hands up, while Underling did the same. Her oversized sleeves slid down to reveal most of her arms. With her goal reached, IF began to make her way out of the building, speeding up so she didn't run into anyone else who might know Underling.

When she walked through the sliding doors with the heavy package, she felt as if a great weight were lifted from her shoulders- which lasted for only a moment, when she realized she was about to drop the box. She adjusted her grip and continued walking across the street to greet Nisa and Compa. As she arrived to her companions, her other two party members were kicked out of the building and onto the curb.

Nisa and Compa both greeted IF with a smile. "I see the mission was a success!", Nisa said.

IF set the box down and gave a sigh of relief, now that an _actual_ weight was removed from her shoulders. After a few moments, the full party was back together.

"Good work, everyone!", Compa cheered.

"Yes! I can feel my 'Charm' stat increasing!", RED said with a grin.

"All you did was show off some lame toy tricks…", Underling grumbled.

"Hey! That took years of practice to learn, you know!", RED replied.

"Whatever. We were lucky those broads even fell for it", Underling shrugged.

Nisa walked over to the box and peered inside. "I trust you didn't run into any trouble in there?"

IF shook her head. "I ran into Elsa in there. And that other girl, who found her bike."

"With the space armor?", Nisa replied.

"Yeah", IF replied, "Her name's Battlefront. Looks like she's also working for Elsa now, too." After a quick glance at Underling, she sighed. "Well that's enough about that. It's time to fix my bike!"

RED pointed forward, towards nothing in particular. "This next sequence will be pretty boring, so we're gonna just skip ahead to when it's finished!"

"There are smoother ways to end a scene, you know…", Nisa replied.

"G-girls! You mustn't say things like that!", Compa interjected.

Underling facepalmed. "Just end the damn scene already!"

* * *

IF's party sat patiently in a mechanic's waiting room, electing to have a professional reinstall the engine so that Underling couldn't tamper with the bike any further. They idled around until the mechanic finally delivered the good news. IF immediately jumped to her feet and ran to see her partner in crime in one piece.

She ran over and hopped on, quickly turning the key in the ignition. For her efforts, she was greeted with the satisfying sound of the engine revving up. IF couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

"Now this more like it!", IF said.

"I don't think I've seen you this happy before", Nisa said.

"Iffy's bike is sort of like her baby", Compa smiled.

RED had a worried look on her face. "I need to step up my game. I don't wanna lose to a bike!"

Underling cross her arms. "Are you gonna shut up about me taking your stupid engine now?"

IF snapped back into reality and looked at Underling. "Yeah. Don't forget we still have to switch bodies back."

Underling uncrossed her arms. "Hopefully that magic chick can fix this. I can't get used to these huge sleeves."

"Don't you think they look cool?", IF replied.

"They keep getting in the freaking way!", Underling snapped.

"You just need to get used to them", RED said.

"Hell no. Come tomorrow, I'll be back in my own comfy body and ditching you broads", Underling replied.

"You don't like hanging out with us?", Compa asked.

"What can I say? I'm at least getting paid big bucks to help that rich girl. What do you guys do? Run quests from the guilds all day? Does that even pay well?", Underling said.

"Depends on the job", IF replied, "Adventuring is a totally legit profession, you know."

"Just make sure you don't take an arrow to the knee, and you'll be golden!", Nisa said.

"You read that from a book, didn't you?", IF smirked.

Nisa nodded. "Bethesda's 'Feature or Bug? The Life of a Modder'."

"Who the hell uses a bow and arrow nowadays? Can't everyone just buy a gun or use magic?", Underling grumbled.

"That's funny. I can't find any sort of guns on you", IF replied as she patted down the body she inhabited. "I don't think you can use magic, either."

"Wait a minute. You mean the only weapon she has is a pipe?", Nisa asked.

"H-hey! I can take a hit too, dammit!", Underling stuttered.

"...and run, too. That hit hurt, you know!", Nisa replied.

"It was nothing personal, alright? I'm just trying to get by", Underling sighed.

"There are better ways to do that other than pursuing a life of crime! Come! Atone for your sins and you too can succeed at life!", Nisa declared.

Underling grit her teeth. "I'm not gonna take advice from someone who clearly has some screws loose." She turned around and started walking away.

"Where are you going? We still need to switch bodies!", IF called out.

Underling groaned as she did a U-turn. "This is so lame…"

"I don't see why you're so eager to go back to being an underling", IF said, "Especially when you could be part of a team instead."

Underling marched up over to IF and grabbed her coat, lifting her up a few inches from the ground. "You listen here, twerp. My name's not 'Underling'. It's Linda. . L.I.N.D.A." She let go and let IF fall onto the ground. "And don't you forget it!"

**CHAPTER 17… (Tell Me) Your Name... END.**


	18. Freaking Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF and Linda aren't too happy about being stuck in eachother's body's...

IF hit the ground, landing on her (or rather, Linda's) butt.

RED stomped up to Linda. "You keep your hands off of my wifey!"

"Please, no fighting!", Compa cried out.

"Everyone calm down!", Nisa shouted, "Let's just talk this out and resolve this peacefully."

"What's there to talk about? Once we switch bodies back, that'll be the end of this", IF sighed.

"I'd agree with that if I didn't keep running into you", Linda growled, "How the hell does that even happen?"

"Didn't you literally follow us to Leanbox?", IF replied.

"Like hell I did! All I did was put on a disguise to get through. I was already headed to Leanbox in the first place", Linda said.

IF pushed herself off the ground. "Oh yeah? And why did you even come to Leanbox in the first place?"

Linda was taken aback by the question."W-well, I…"

"You came here to be a crook, that's what!", IF said, "Getting paid to steal stuff doesn't make it okay!"

Linda glared at IF. "And what're you gonna do? Arrest me? _In your body_?"

"Oh snap!", RED blurted out.

"She makes a good point, Iffy…", Compa replied.

Nisa pointed her finger at Linda. "You're a fool if you think you can evade justice forever!"

"You better watch your mouth, penguin girl! I could easily go on a crime spree and get a bounty on her head!", Linda barked back.

"Says the girl in a mouse outfit…", IF mumbled. She looked over to Linda. "I could just turn myself in with your body."

"Then you'd be the one in a cell. I have no problem running around with your mug on, you know. I already did it before", Linda replied.

"We won't let you get away with it!", RED called out.

Everyone fell silent. "I guess we're at a stalemate, then", Nisa spoke up.

"I guess all we can do now is wait for MAGES. to figure out how to fix this", IF sighed.

"To hell with that!", Linda growled. She turned around and started walking.

"Where do you think you're going?", IF called out.

"I'm gonna get that hat-wearing weirdo to fix this crap!", Linda replied.

"What if she hasn't fixed her device yet?", IF said.

"Then I'll beat it out of her!" Linda snapped.

"Hey now! There's no need to go that far over this!", Nisa called out.

"She… she started running", Compa said.

"I'll get her!", RED spoke up. The redhead began to give chase. She sprinted forward a few feet before beginning to use the skates on her slippers to skate after Linda. Despite this, Linda was still able to maintain a considerable amount of distance between herself and RED.

"After them!", Nisa said, before chasing after them herself. IF and Compa looked at each other before giving chase.

As Linda continued to run, she was able to gain speed as the road began to go down a hill. A grin spread across her face, until she noticed something speed past her.

"W-what the hell?!", Linda muttered. None other than RED herself had picked up even more speed thanks to her skates, and as a result was able to overtake Linda quite easily.

"Stop right theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere…!", RED called out as she passed Linda. Unfortunately for her, she gained _too much_ speed, and zoomed way past her target. Linda grit her teeth before starting to slow down. She turned back and saw Nisa basically flying down the road towards her.

"Justice KICK!", Nisa cried out. Had Linda not looked behind her, she would have indeed fallen victim to the heroine's attack. Just in the knick of time, she was able to evade it. Nisa landed further down the hill, and was now blocking the way. Linda began to run across the street, causing a car to swerve aside and honk its horn.

Nisa gave chase on her side of the sidewalk, now running parallel to Linda. The delinquent shoved a hands into IF's coat pockets, searching for something she could use to her advantage.

"Damn it! This broad's got nothing useful on her!", Linda thought to herself. Suddenly, something hit the pavement in front of her, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. She glanced behind her and noticed someone pointing a rather large syringe at her. Linda grit her teeth. "That's… that ditzy bimbo!"

"Pew, pew pew!", Compa cried as she fired what appeared to be pellets from her giant syringe.

IF pulled up her sleeves before turning to Compa. "Don't stop firing... This body can take a hit!"

"Leave it to me!", Compa replied. With that, IF began to sprint forward towards Linda herself. The pause was long enough for Nisa to safely cross the street (after responsibly looking both ways first, of course), creating a pincer maneuver around Linda.

As they drew closer, Linda desperately scrambled to find a way out of her conundrum while dodging Compa's fire. She shoved her hands into IF's pockets once more, and managed to grip something as IF and Nisa approached her. She grinned devilishly as they drew closer, waiting for just the right time to pull out her trump card with her oversized sleeves. Once the time was right, she pulled out a pink object that caused IF to stop dead in her tracks.

"S-stop!", IF cried out. Nisa stopped in her tracks with a confused look on her face. Compa continued firing, which caused IF to put herself in her line of fire to block Compa's attacks. IF grit her teeth as she withstood the attacks with her arms spread out as if to hug the air.

Linda looked at IF in shock. "You're going this far… over a phone?!"

Nisa gave IF a thumbs up. "I salute your dedication!"

IF winced back at her. "Grab it!" Nisa nodded with determination and took a step towards Linda.

"Don't come any closer!", Linda shouted, "Or the chick's phone gets it!" Nisa froze in place, not moving another inch. Linda grinned. "Yeah, that's right… nobody try any funny business." She looked up past IF, directly at Compa. "Tell your friend to stop shooting."

"Compa… s-stop shooting!", IF cried out.

The nurse obeyed, and ceased fire. Linda began to chuckle. "See you later, suckers!" She turned around and began running down the hill, patting Nisa on her shoulder as she passed her with a smug look on her face.

Suddenly, a golden serpent-like object shot through the air directly towards Linda and wrapped itself around her, entrapping her in its grasp. "W-what the hell?!"

"From the depths of the unexpected…", RED's voice could be heard from further down the hill, "...Royal Emperor Dragon emerges to help my wifey!"

"D-damn kid! Get this thing off me!", Linda growled.

"Not so smug now, huh?", IF called out.

"Gr… raaagh!", Linda growled. RED's golden companion squeezed Linda even further, causing her to lose her grip on IF's phone. IF walked forward and picked it up from the ground, dusting it off before inspecting it for any damage.

"Damn it… how the hell did I lose to a bunch of broads like you?!", Linda said.

"It's pretty simple, really. For starters, we outnumber you. We worked together to stop you", IF replied, "If you were part of a party, then maybe things would've gone differently." Everyone regrouped and was now standing around the captured girl.

Compa turned to IF. "Iffy, are you okay?"

IF nodded. "It hurt, but it was worth it." She put a hand on her hip and smiled. "I didn't know you could shoot out of that thing!"

Compa chuckled. "A girl has to keep _some_ secrets, you know?"

IF faced Linda. "How about we go see MAGES. and check if she's figured this whole thing out yet. Without trying to beat her up, of course. RED, don't let her get away."

"Aye aye!", RED nodded.

Nisa sighed to herself. "I wish I could have been more useful…"

"It's fine, Nisa. She pulled a real fast one on us", IF replied.

"And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for this meddling kid, and her friggin' dragon thing..." Linda grumbled.

* * *

After contacting MAGES., they agreed to meet at the electronics store. When they arrived, MAGES. awaited them outside.

The sorceress greeted them with a nod. "Greetings, associates. I'm proud to reveal that I have come up with a solution for your conundrum." She gave a passing glance to IF's party before crossing her arms. "...However, due to the powers that be, we must be swift in our procedure."

"In other words, we have to hurry up before security notices us tampering with the merchandise…", Nisa said.

MAGES. adjusted her tie and cleared her throat. "...I'm positive this will work. Worst case scenario, everyone in a five block radius switches bodies with each other."

"B-but that won't happen, right?", Nisa replied. "...Right?"

"Let us make haste", MAGES. declared. They all frolicked into the store, where MAGES. proceeded to assemble several things together to create her device. When she was complete, she turned to IF's party. "It is complete. Behold, the FGL-07 mark 2!" The device appeared to be a mere microwave with two helmets connected to it

"It looks the same as the last one", IF commented.

"Indeed, it is similar to the previous version. However…", MAGES. opened the microwave to reveal it's contents. "The secret ingredient is chicken tenders."

"Makes sense to me!", RED nodded with a wide smile on her face.

"Well… who am I to question it?", Nisa shrugged.

MAGES. looked around anxiously. "...Let's do this quickly."

IF stepped forward and placed one of the helmets onto her (borrowed) head while RED placed the remaining one onto Linda.

"I could've done that myself, you know", Linda grumbled, "I'm not a fan of staying in someone else's body, either."

RED stretched her hand out, and her golden dragon let go of Linda and crawled back onto herself. Linda stretched her newly freed limbs to get herself comfortable and readjusted the helmet on her head.

"If you're both ready, I'll initiate the transfer sequence", MAGES. said. She set the microwave to sixty seconds, and hit the start button. As the timer counted down, everything around them began to shake, and the device began to emanate electricity.

"Is is supposed to be doing that?", RED asked.

"A tad unexpected… but it should be just fine", MAGES. replied.

Products around them began to shake, and the electricity became more erratic as the clock continued to tick on. IF and Linda grit their teeth and placed their hands onto their helmets as they braced themselves. Nisa was focused on holding onto things on the nearby shelves so they didn't fall over onto the ground.

"What's going on here?!", a voice called out. A security guard stomped through the aisle and was headed right to the scene of the crime.

"We can't stop the transfer. We need more time!", MAGES. said, "We need to stall until it's complete!"

Nisa immediately sprung into action, and tried to halt the security guard's advance. "Nothing going on here, sir! You must be seeing things!" The guard looked right past Nisa and directly towards the commotion.

"Do you think I'm blind?! You girls need to cut this out, now!", the guard announced. He marched past Nisa and drew closer and closer to the group.

Compa stepped up and tried to halt the guard. "Mr. guard, please just give us another minute!", she pleaded.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hur- wait, no! You can't do… whatever you're doing… here!", the guard replied.

"Can't you make an exception, just this once?", Compa said. She looked at the guard with puppy dog eyes in an attempt to win him over.

"I… well…", the guard began to stutter, completely (and ironically) caught off guard. The clock continued to count down, with the environment only becoming more and more violent. The guard snapped out of his trance and shoved his way around Compa to approach the device.

"I'm not losing my job over some girls trying to go on a science adventure with store merchandise! You need to cut this this out, right now!", the guard ordered. RED was the last person able to put herself between the guard and the device.

"Don't move another step, gramps. I won't let you touch my wifey!", RED said to the guard.

The guard glanced down at RED and stared at her for a few seconds. "Not now, little girl. I have a job to do!"

"Hey! Don't ignore me!", RED pouted. The guard tried going around her, but RED wasn't about to give up so easily. The redhead stretched her arms out and wrapped them around the guard, holding at tight as she could to halt his advance. Her attack worked, as the guard immediately stopped moving. The man gulped nervously as he felt the girl rub against him. He was able to feel something soft and squishy pushing itself against his back.

"L-let go of me! I… I could get arrested for this!", the guard blurted out. MAGES. tipped her hat at RED before turning back to the device.

MAGES. began to mutter the numbers as they counted down. Once the counter finally reached zero, a bright flash filled the area, causing everyone to shield their eyes. After a few seconds, the light died down. The sorceress looked at her own hands and exhaled with relief. She then turned around and looked at IF and Compa before asking the obvious. "...Did it work?"

IF raised her hands up to look at them, and found relief when she felt her oversized sleeves slide down her to her elbows. She immediately looked over to Linda, who was looking back at her.

"Well whaddya know… that thing actually worked", Linda said. She and IF took off their helmets and placed it back where they belonged. From behind them, they heard the security guard call out after breaking free from RED's grasp.

"No more playing around. You girls need to get out of here!", the guard announced.

MAGES. opened the microwave and took out the tray of chicken tenders she had placed inside. "We were just leaving. Come, let's leave this realm", MAGES. muttered before beginning to leave. IF and Linda followed her out as they walked past the security guard.

Before following them, RED faced the guard. "Don't you dare get any funny ideas, gramps!", she said. She then proceeded to walk away in a huff.

The guard turned around as the group made their leave, then sighed to himself. "I don't get paid enough to deal with this…"

* * *

The group exited the store without a hussle, and was now standing outside of it. IF checked her own pockets to make sure everything was in order. After confirming it's contents, she turned to Linda. "I think you have my phone."

Linda checked her pockets and found exactly what IF was looking for. She shrugged and handed it over to its rightful owner.

"Unless you have another request, I'll be taking my leave", MAGES. announced.

"Thank you for helping us!", Nisa said with a thumbs up.

MAGES. turned around and began to walk away while snacking on the remaining chicken tenders. IF watched her leave before turning to look at Linda.

"I know you're not interested in joining us, so you're free to go", IF muttered.

Linda shoved her hands inside the pockets of her hoodie. She turned around to leave, but looked back towards the group.

"How about you join us instead?", Linda said, "Elsa would be paying you guys."

IF shook her head. "Who knows what kind of dirty work she'd make us do. If you were willing to outright steal my bike, who knows what other stuff she'd have done for her?"

"We could report you to the authorities, you know!", Nisa added.

Linda chuckled. "Good luck with that, broads." She placed her hands on the back of her head as she made her leave.

"I pray that one day, she'll see the error of her ways and repent for her sins", Nisa said as she crossed her arms.

"She seemed pretty mean…", Compa replied.

"If she weren't so rotten, I wouldn't mind having her as a cute, punk-ish wifey", RED added.

"Eh, with the way this past week has been going, odds are we'll run into her again", IF sighed. As if on queue, IF received a phone call. She looked down onto her phone to look at the number that was calling her, only for it to be labeled "Unknown". She picked up the phone and said "Hello?"

"Greetings, IF. This is R. Please return to the guild at your earliest convenience", the voice on the phone said.

"Gotcha. We'll be there as soon as possible", IF replied, before closing the phone. She put her phone back into her pocket and looked at her party. "R's calling us in, so let's head back to the guild now."

Everyone nodded, and they went straight to their destination.

* * *

Upon arriving, R awaited them within the guild building. She greeted them and beckoned IF's party to follow her into the conference room. Once inside, they each took at seat around a table.

"I thank you all for coming. Now, you're probably wondering why I called you back here", R said.

"You heard back from the Oracle about Athletic Enterprise's, right?", Nisa said.

R nodded. "I have an official warrant right from the Oracle for the arrest of the president of Athletic Enterprises."

**CHAPTER 18... FREAKING FRIDAY... END.**


	19. A Presidential Visit, A Successful Successor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF's party has been tasked with arresting the president of Athletic Enterprises.

"Arresting the president?!", RED exclaimed.

"This is super duper serious stuff!", Compa said, in an alarmed tone.

IF crossed her arms. "Let me guess. You want us to be there?"

R nodded. "It only seems right, considering the work you put in towards this."

"I agree. We might as well see how this ends", Nisa replied.

IF sighed. "Alright, let's do this then."

"I'm glad you understand. Now, your mission is to assist in the arrest on location. at AE headquarters. The president is to be detained and brought in for questioning", R explained, "You have a warrant. You're free to search the entire building if you have to."

"Understood. We'll track down that villain and bring him in so he can face justice!", Nisa declared. She got up from her seat and pointing forward, towards nothing in particular. "Come, let us commence our-!"

"One moment, please. Two agents of Leanbox will be accompanying you", R interrupted. She raised her voice as she spoke again, "You may come in, now."

The door to the conference room opened, and in came Cave along with a person wearing some sort of green space armor.

R looked around the table. "I'm sure you've already met Cave by now." Cave gave the table a brief nod before walking over to R and standing next to her. The other person stood next to R on the opposite side of Cave.

"Meet Mister Chief, a veteran Leanbox agent", R announced. Mister Chief nodded and gave everyone a thumbs up. R continued speak, "You'll all be working together on this mission. There shouldn't be many obstacles since you have a warrant approved by the Oracle herself… but it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"Hopefully this goes smoothly", IF said.

"As long as the media doesn't get involved, we'll be able to go in and out without any attention, right?", Nisa replied.

Cave shook her head. "Not quite. The employees we have to pass by along the way will surely speak up about it. Besides that, there's a certain pair of journalists who somehow show up wherever there's a potential story."

"A pair of journalists? I wonder who they could be…", Compa muttered.

IF shrugged. "No point worrying about that. Let's get this over with."

R bowed before them. "I wish you all good luck."

* * *

It didn't take long for the party to arrive at their destination. It was getting late, and the sun was going to set soon. The party stood around in front of the AE HQ campus, going over the plan one more time.

"Is everyone ready?", Nisa asked. Everyone responded with a brief nod. "Good! Operation Deflated Balls is a go!"

"Hold on, when did we start calling it that?", IF asked.

"Focus", Cave interjected, "We're going in now."

The party walked through the automatic doors and marched right up to the receptionist.

Cave presented the warrant to the receptionist. "We're here to take the president in."

The receptionist was stunned, completely unsure of how to respond to this. "I'll… er… let him know…?" Her shaky hand reached for the phone and she made a call. "S-sir… er… some people from the… guild… are here to see you." After listening for a few seconds, the receptionist looked up at IF's party. "He… isn't taking any visitors at the moment."

"I'm afraid he doesn't have a choice", Cave replied. She turned around and faced the rest of her party. "Go look for him, and fast. He might try to slip out of here undetected."

With a nod, the party split up to search the building up and down for the company president. This time, they were free to wander the building without having to worry about the guards. IF and Nisa made their way to the nearest elevator and took it right to the top floor. Once they arrived at, they split up in opposite directions to look around the floor.

* * *

Within his office, AE's president stood by the window, peering outside with a glass filled with some sort of drink inside. Standing behind him was Elsa, with her arms crossed.

"They'll be here soon", Elsa's father muttered. He took a sip while his eyes were glued to the view outside his office. "This shouldn't take long. I'm counting on you to post bail."

Elsa remained silent as she looked away. Elsa's father turned to face Elsa. "Is that clear?", he said, in a firm tone.

Elsa reluctantly made eye contact with him. "...Yes, father."

Elsa's father chuckled as he began to look outside once more. "I knew I could count on you, champ." Elsa grit her teeth before making two fists with her hands. A few moments later, Nisa barged through the door.

"Halt!", Nisa shouted, "By the power vested in me by the Oracle of Leanbox, you're under arrest!"

"Oh? All by yourself?", Elsa's father replied, "It seems I'm being grossly underestimated."

"Let's not do this the hard way, shall we?", Nisa said. She took out her phone and quickly texted her location to her party's group chat before putting it away again. "My friends will be here soon, so don't try to pull a fast one on me!" Nisa stood at the entrance and scanned the room before finally noticing Elsa. Her eyes remained fixated on the girl, until something in her mind clicked.

"You're…", Nisa muttered, before switching her focus to Elsa's father. Elsa remained silent and completely still.

Suddenly, Elsa's father turned around and tossed a football directly towards Nisa. The heroine attempted to catch it, only for the ball to slam into her stomach and send her flying into the hallway.

"Foolish child, I've lived my life perfecting my body to become the ultimate athlete!", the president shouted, "It's going to take more than one person to catch me!" Nisa continued flying into the air until she slammed into a wall, completely knocking the wind out of her. She fell to the ground coughing and clutched her stomach in pain. When she looked up, she saw the president's hulking figure charge right towards her. Nisa attempted to dodge, but was only able to manage to weakly limp aside. Nisa winced in pain and was left with no choice but to brace herself for the approaching tackle.

Faster than she could blink, Cave swooped in and grabbed Nisa, allowing the both of them to easily evade the president's attack.

"Hah, I see your help's arrived. No matter- I'll make quick work of you both before the rest of them arrive!", the president boasted. Cave put Nisa down and stood between the heroine and the president.

"You'll have to catch me first", Cave muttered.

The president grinned. "This should be interesting…" Both the president and Cave got into a battle stance, and waited in a silent standoff before moving again. The president reached into the inside of his suit's pocket before pulling it out, surprising Cave with a dodgeball. Then another. And another. And another. A barrage of balls was headed directly for the stoic redhead. Cave proceeded to do what she did best: dodge. Not a single projectile was able to his it's mark. The president grit his teeth as he continued to unleash his assault, becoming more and more frustrated that he was unable to hit his target even _once_.

Cave moved closer and closer to the president as she continued to dodge until she was within melee range of him. Now that she was close enough, she took out her weapon- an oversized pair of scissors- and slashed at him.

This caused the president to reel backwards and halt his assault. The look on his face was one of discontent, having been completely humiliated by Cave's ability to dodge pretty much everything he threw at her.

"I hope you realize how futile it is to try to hit me", Cave muttered.

Elsa's father stood still for a few moments, trying to figure out his next move. He suddenly grinned, then began to run away from Cave. As he ran, he spoke into his watch. "Get my chopper on the roof ready, pronto!"

Nisa coughed before calling out to Cave. "Don't… let him get away!" Cave nodded before beginning to give chase. The president barged through the door to the stairwell and began to sprint up the stairs. Cave did her best to catch up to him. He was surprisingly fast, and managed to maintain a sizable distance between himself and his pursuer. After a few tiring minutes, the president finally reached the door to the roof.

Unfortunately for him, IF was already waiting for him there. "I knew you'd try to sneak off like this", she said. The president clenched his fists and ran the only direction he could: forward. IF was surprised, completely not expecting him to charge right for her. She drew her weapons out and charged forward, prepared to collide with the president head on.

The president charged forth with a hulking presence, like a quarterback, much bigger than the young Gust of Wind. In the last second, IF slid under him and sliced at his crotch as he passed over her. IF quickly stumbled back onto her feet to observe the results of her attack, only to be surprised that it had no effect.

The president turned around, laughing. "Athletic cup! Strongest in the industry!", he boasted. He then turned back to face his escape helicopter and ran up to it. Leaping inside, he told the pilot to take off.

IF attempted to run up to the helicopter before it was too late, only for the gusts created by the helicopter's propellers to force her eyes shut. She raised her arms up to try to shield her eyes before trying to take a peak. The helicopter began to rise into the air. With each passing second, IF was running out of options. She took out her gun and started shooting at the helicopter, which went about as well as you'd expect.

Suddenly, someone else stepped through the door to the roof: Mister Chief. Instinctively, he rushed forth and hurled some sort of grenade towards the helicopter. Once the grenade hit the helicopter, it stuck onto it and began to glow. After a few seconds, it exploded.

The pilot of the helicopter lost control and was unable to pilot the chopper any further. "Mayday, mayday!", he shouted. He and the president grabbed the available parachutes and bailed out of the doomed vehicle. Their parachutes opened, ensuring that they would land onto the ground safely. The helicopter, however, was left to crash right into the street in front of the headquarters. At this point, Cave arrived at the rooftop. IF ran over to the edge to look for the president.

"He's still up in the air, with a parachute!", IF shouted. Cave was quick to pick up on the situation and took out her phone and sent a message via the group chat. The one closest to the scene was none other than the ditsy nurse, Compa. Compa ran outside the building and tried to run towards wherever it looked like the president would land.

As the president landed, he took off the straps connecting himself to the parachute and looked around. Compa stood at the ready with her trusty oversized syringe. The president couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Compa.

"What are you gonna do? Vaccinate me to death?", he chuckled.

"If I stabbed you, it would hurt a lot!", Compa replied, trying to sound as threatening as she could.

"I bet it would", the president replied dismissively. He looked past Compa to make sure nobody else had arrived yet. He noticed that the helicopter's debris in the road and he shoved his hands into his pockets, then pulled them out. Except, instead of his bare hands coming out, he now had a pair of boxing gloves equipped. "Bring it on, kid."

He suddenly bolted towards Compa, who had no choice but to run towards her attacker. Just as their blows were about to collide, Compa tripped. Her syringe went flying towards the president, who easily punched through it, causing it to shatter. The contents of the syringe splashed onto him, leaving him completely soaked. Just as he was about to hit Compa, he completely froze.

"W-what?!", he growled. He tried to move, but his body did not respond. "What… is this?!"

Compa got up from the ground and knocked some dust off of herself. "That was my Paralysis Shot. I've been meaning to try it out for a while, so thank you for being my guinea pig!", she smiled.

"This can't… be! Done in by some girl with a giant syringe?!", the president muttered. He continued to struggle, completely in vain.

"Compa!", someone called out. Compa turned around and saw RED running towards her. When she arrived, she looked at Compa up and down. "Are you okay?"

Compa nodded. "Yup. ...I'm going to need a new syringe, though."

RED looked at the paralyzed president. "Is this the guy we're after?" She noticed that he was frozen in and awkward stance. She stepped forth and poked him, which caused him to fall over to the ground. The president grit his teeth, frustrated at how defenseless he was.

"Well, I guess it's time to arrest this guy!", RED said. She took out a pair of toy handcuffs and positioned herself to place them onto him.

"Would that even work? That looks like it was made for little kids…", Compa said.

"Maybe in the hands of a child, but for me, these are as good as the real deal", RED replied. She then proceeded to roll the president over so he was face down and sat on him before finally handcuffing him. He tried to speak, but his voice was muffled by the ground. As she finished cuffing him, the rest of the party arrived. IF and Cave were walking in the front, while Mister Chief carried Nisa over in his arms.

"I see you were able to apprehend the suspect", Cave said.

RED pushed herself off of the president before responding. "Oh, Compa did all the work. I'm just making sure he doesn't get away!"

Compa noticed Mister Chief carrying Nisa. "What's wrong with Nisa?", she asked.

"She took a pretty nasty blow when the president attacked her", Cave spoke up.

"Oh, oh! I can fix her!", RED butted in. She walked over to Mister Chief and looked at Nisa. "Here's some Sweet Stuff!", she said before giving Nisa a peck on her forehead. A moment later, Nisa's eyes fluttered open.

"Huh? Where am I?", Nisa asked. At this point, Mister Chief put Nisa down so she could stand on her own two feet. She took a moment to gather herself, and realized that the president had been captured.

"It looks like our work here is done, then. Sorry I wasn't able to do much, in the end", Nisa said.

"Nonsense. You were the one who found him in the first place", Cave replied.

The sounds of sirens could be heard approaching in the distance. In a matter of moments, fire trucks sped onto the scene of the helicopter crash and started dousing the flames. As if on cue, a certain pair of journalists arrived on the scene.

"Hello there, I'm Dengeki-"

"Hi, I'm Famitsu! I'm here to-"

"Out of the way, Famitsu!", Dengekiko said as she shoved Famitsu away.

"No, YOU get out of the way, Dengekiko!", Famitsu said as she began to butt heads with her rival.

As the pair began to bicker, IF pulled the president off the ground and started to slip away from them. Dengekiko and Famitsu stopped fighting when they saw the president's face.

"Wait a minute, could that be…?", Famitsu muttered.

"It's the AE president!", Dengekiko gasped. At this point, they realize that he has been handcuffed by IF's party. The two reporters stopped bickering with one another and marched up to the president quickly. Dengekiko snapped a photo of the disgraced company leader, while Famitsu other shoved a microphone into his face.

"What do you have to say for yourself?", Famitsu asked.

"...I want to speak with my lawyer", the president muttered. He lowered his head in shame to make it harder to get a good picture of his face.

"The president of AE… arrested? Oh, what a scoop!", Dengekiko cheered. When it was clear that he wasn't going to speak anymore, Famitsu asked Cave what was going on.

"No comment", Cave said in a dismissive tone. Famitsu pouted. She then moved over to IF and asked her the same question.

"What makes you think I'd spill the beans after she already said no?", IF replied as she pointed at Cave.

"Let us return to the guild at once", Cave muttered.

Famitsu sighed and shook her head. She looked over to Dengekiko, who seemed to be nervous for some reason. Dengekiko beckoned Famitsu over, then began to whisper to her.

"That girl over there, in the sweater… she's the one who caused that traffic jam in Planeptune!", Dengekiko whispered.

"No way… you're right!", Famitsu whispered back, "What should we do?"

"Calm down", Dengekiko whispered back, "She doesn't know we're the ones who broke the news."

"You're right…", Famitsu replied, "Let's just head to the crash site and see what we can gather from there." The two of them faced IF's party.

"Well, sorry to bother you. We've got a story to report!", Dengekiko said. The two reporters bowed before bolting over to the crash site to cover their latest story. IF's party began to make their way back to the guild with the captured president in tow.

* * *

Several hours have passed since the incident at AE. Trucks were brought in to remove the debris from the road after the first responders combed through the wreckage.

From within AE Headquarters, Elsa simply observed the aftermath as the road was being cleared up. Standing behind her was Battlefront, Ai and Linda, all standing around idly until the phone rang.

"Shouldn't you pick that up?", Linda asked, "This is like the fourth time it's rang."

Elsa turned around. "...I suppose I should." She walked over to the phone and picked it up. She brought the phone to her ear and was immediately greeted by the far from pleased voice of her father.

"Elsa, my dear, it seems you've forgotten to post bail!", he said to her.

"Why, I have no idea what you're talking about", Elsa muttered.

"Don't you dare play this sort of game with me at a time like this!", he barked.

Elsa paused for a moment before responding. Before closing the phone, she said:

" _This is MY company now_."

**CHAPTER 19… A PRESIDENTIAL VISIT, A SUCCESSFUL SUCCESSOR... END.**


	20. The Cult of Busty Blondes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF and RED decide to go to a local meetup, and end up encountering a strange pursuer...

A day has past since IF and her friends turned the president of AE in to the Leanbox guild. Master Chief had parted ways with them to go on other official business while Cave went inside to help interrogate the president. Compa took this downtime as a chance to go shopping. Nisa tagged along, eager to see more of Leanbox. IF sat at a booth and looked through the available quests, eager to find something to do for herself.

"Iffy, I'm bored", RED sighed.

IF's eyes were glued to her phone. Without looking up, she responded. "Go find something to do then."

RED pouted. "Come on, you're my wifey! You're supposed to spoil me with gifts and attention!"

"That sounds like a pretty one-sided relationship", IF muttered.

"What do you mean?", RED replied.

"Well, instead of worrying about what people can give you, how about you try giving other people something instead?", IF said.

RED stared at IF with a blank expression on her face, as if the brunette had been speaking to her in a foreign language.

"You don't have to think about it so hard", IF added, "Just do whatever comes naturally to you."

The redhead held her chin in thought, then started to walk away. After a few minutes, she came running back with flyer in hand.

"Iffy! Iffy! How about we go to this event!?", RED suggested. IF looked up from her phone to take a look at what RED was holding. It read:

**CULT OF BUSTY BLONDES**

**MEETING TONIGHT 7PM**

**SNACKS PROVIDED**

**NEWCOMERS WELCOME!**

**...**

The bottom of the flyer indicated the location of the event, along with some graphics resembling busty blonde women. IF skimmed through the flyer once, then blinked before reading it over again.

"Sounds like a get together for pervs", IF shrugged.

"Just think! A get together where I can talk about blonde wifeys with other people!", RED's eyes shined with joy, seeming to ignore IF's comment. "Come on, Iffy! I'm sure you could make a friend or two there, too!"

"What makes you think I'd be interested in this sort of thing?", IF asked.

"Come on, now! Don't knock it 'till you try it!", RED insisted, "Besides, this is about me doing something for you. I'm taking you dare on a date!"

IF sighed and put her phone away. "As long as you don't call this a 'date', then we have a deal."

RED cheered at the response and sat down at the opposite side of the table, staring at IF with a huge smile on her face. She kicked her feet up and down, barely able to contain her excitement as she stared at IF, who had gone back to staring at her phone. Not knowing how to get around Leanbox very well, she looked up the address on the flyer to make sure she knew how to get there.

The time of the meeting rapidly approached (at least, for IF it did). IF made sure to send a text to Compa about her plans before heading out. RED was completely giddy, like a child whose parents were taking them to a toy store. RED's smile was contagious, causing IF to have a slight grin on her face as she started to make her leave from the guild.

IF walked over to her motorcycle and hopped onto it. She beckoned RED over to hop on as well. RED was more than eager to get close and personal with IF and hopped on in an instant.

"Hold on tight. I'm not stopping if you fall off", IF muttered.

"Well don't mind if I do!", RED replied just before hopping on and embracing IF from behind in a tight hug. IF revved up her engine before finally setting off onto the road.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination: a high school gymnasium. IF pulled over and let RED hop off before parking her bike. They followed the paper signs pointing towards the meeting and soon found themselves within the gym. There were folding chairs set up in a circle with some people already sitting in some of them. The duo took their seats right next to each other and patiently waited for the meeting to begin. As soon as the clock hit the hour, a robotic looking man spoke up,

"Welcome back to our 'Cult of Busty Blondes' meeting!", the man said, "My name is Affimojas, and I'm the chairman of this club. I see some new faces here today, so let's give our newcomers a chance to introduce themselves!"

RED jumped up from her seat. "My name's RED!", she said while pointing to herself. She motioned towards IF. "And this here is Iffy!" IF nodded towards the group without getting up from her chair. Everyone else greeted them with a warm smile or a simple "Hello".

"Splendid!", Affimojas replied, "It soothes my robotic heart to meet more people who are also interested in the delight that is a woman with blonde hair and a respectable bust!" Everyone else nodded in agreement.

IF spoke up. "One question, if I may", she asked, "What exactly do you guys do here?"

Affimojas nodded. "This is simply a place where we can freely express our love for busty blondes away from the judgmental eyes of society! We also offer emotional support for people who have, regrettably, had trouble speaking to such beautiful beings, among any other thing they may need help in."

"I see", IF replied, "That's actually pretty nice."

"Indeed", Affimojas said, "Now, who would like to go first?" One blonde girl raised her hand. "Excellent! Please introduce yourself for our newcomers, first!"

"My name is Million Arthur!", the girl stated, "I hail from a faraway kingdom in the search for cute girls, busty blondes included!" The group waved and greeted at her before she continued. "I actually have quite a scoop for you all today!"

Affimojas nodded. "Don't keep us waiting then, Millie!"

Million Arthur nodded. "Well, rumor has it that Lady Green Heart herself is actually a busty blonde herself!"

Everyone collectively gasped at the blonde's words. One average looking young man raised his hand. "Where did this rumor come from? Ordinary people aren't allowed to lay their eyes upon the Goddesses!"

"That is quite the claim…", another person interjected. The group began to chatter amongst themselves, contemplating the rumor.

"Now, now, everyone. As far as we know, this is simply a rumor", Affimojas spoke up, "...However, this sort of information deserves to be shared with the public. I'll be writing about this on my blog. That way, with everyone talking about it, we'll be able to figure out if it's true or not!"

"Good idea, Master!", a voice called out from outside the circle of chairs. Everyone turned around to see who just spoke. A purple, moody looking ninja approached the group to take his own seat, holding a tray with some snacks on it. On his way over, he accidentally nudged IF. "Sorry, pardon me", he muttered in response.

"Ah, Steamax!", Affimojas greeted, "You're late."

Steamax bowed and raised the tray up for all to see. "My apologies, Master. It took me longer than I anticipated to get the snacks."

"Very well, then", Affimojas replied, "Go ahead and hand them out to everyone." Steamax obeyed by going around the circle and letting people pick a snack from the tray. On the platter were crackers, cheese, and ham.

"Well don't mind if I do, chu", a gray rodent muttered as he picked up a few pieces of cheese from the platter.

"Now, if Millie has nothing else to report, the floor is open for anyone else", Affimojas commanded. After a moment of everyone looking at each other, another person stood up. Affimojas nodded. "Good to see you're back! How did it go?"

"Well…", the young man started to speak, "...I got way too nervous to ask her out. And then… someone else did."

The group collectively awed. Affimojas spoke up. "Does anyone have any advice?"

The group fell silent before someone answered. "If I may…", Steamax spoke up.

"Of course, my good friend. Speak your mind!", Affimojas replied.

Steamax turned to face the unlucky man. "Maybe you should just pour your feelings out and tell her how you feel."

"And if all else fails", RED interjected, "Just declare them your wifey!" Everyone's eyes all locked onto RED after that. IF hid her face with her sleeves, embarrassed.

"How bold", Affimojas replied, "...perhaps just bold enough to work!"

The young man who presented his dilemma thought about the advice he was just given for a moment. "I'll try both of those, thank you…"

"You should be more confident in yourself, too!", RED continued, "Raise your hand and repeat after me!" The young man hesitated for a moment before following the redhead's instructions. "I solemnly swear to defend my wifey with my lifey! And my wifey, is you!" The man repeated what RED said. "Now say it one more time!", RED instructed.

The man repeated it several more times, becoming progressively more confident which each time he repeated it. "I… I feel better now! I can do this!", the man cheered.

"How splendid!", Affimojas declared. He turned his attention towards IF. "How about you?"

IF looked back at Affimojas. "...What about me?"

"You have the look of someone with unreciprocated love on your face", the robotic man replied.

"...What are you getting at?", IF muttered.

"We're all here to show our support. So just tell us what's on your mind!" Affimojas said.

"Well… there's this friend. I've known her my whole life, and I'm not sure if I want to take it to the next level", IF explained.

"I see. That is quite the dilemma", Affimojas replied.

"Oh Iffy, you should have ask-!", RED butted in.

"Not you", IF interrupted, "I haven't known you for even a week yet."

The gray little rat leaned forward on his seat. "Do you have any pictures of her, chu?"

IF stared at the rodent, unsure of how to respond. "I don't feel comfortable sharing that", she replied.

"So uptight, chu…", the rodent grumbled to himself.

* * *

**Meanwhile, at a Leanbox shopping center…**

Nisa followed Compa around, holding all of the bags of clothing and merchandise the young nurse had bought. The blue-haired girl wondered to herself how Compa could afford all of this on a nurse's salary. Despite her curiosity, she didn't ask. Eventually, Compa stopped and looked at Nisa.

"Oh, sorry. You must be getting bored from all this", Compa said.

Nisa flexed her muscles while still holding the bags. "Me? Ha! This is nothing for a hero such as myself!"

Compa eyed her up and down. "Well… I think I've bought everything I wanted. What do you want to do?"

Nisa thought to herself for a few moments. "Well, we could… Hm. You know, I'm not sure. How about we get something to eat?"

"Good idea, it's almost supper time. Lead the way!", Compa replied. Nisa began to walk around with Compa following closely behind. They looked through the shopping center for around ten minutes until Nisa finally decided where to eat.

"Can't go wrong with seafood!", Nisa declared.

"I haven't cooked seafood in a while, so this will be a treat", Compa nodded. The pair went inside the restaurant and stopped to look at the menu before deciding what to order. Once they made up their minds, they ordered their food.

"One order of takoyaki, please!", Nisa said.

"And two crab rice balls!", Compa added.

"Coming right up!", the chef replied.

Compa and Nisa moved over to the pick-up area to wait for their orders. "So, how long have you known IF for?", Nisa asked.

"For as long as I can remember", Compa said, "Even back when we were little kids, she still wore such a huge coat!" She chuckled at the image in her own head, from a time long past. "Even back then, she was hooked to her phone! She cried for like two weeks when it broke. And she only stopped because she got a new one!"

"Doesn't seem very different from how she is now", Nisa replied, "What about you? Did you want to be a nurse back then?"

"Definitely! I had this big toy syringe, and I'd pretend to fix everyone's booboos with it", Compa replied cheerfully. "How about you?"

"Well, I have sworn my life to bring about justice all across Gamindustri!", Nisa said. "I guess you could say I've been wanting to to do this for a while. It's also why I like takoyaki. You see, the prinni-"

"Order number 184 and 185!", one of the employees shouted, "Order number 184 and 185, ready!"

"Oh, that's us", Nisa muttered. She went over to the counter and picked up their orders. They then walked over to one of the tables to finally feast upon their meals.

"Hey, Nisa. What do you think is gonna happen to the president?", Compa asked.

Nisa chewed down a piece of her food and hummed for a second before answering. "Well, with all the evidence racked up against him, he'll probably be doing time", Nisa answered, "...Though, I feel as if there's something much bigger going on."

Compa swallowed a piece of her riceball. "What do you mean?"

"I just think there's more going on than just the president's involvement. We don't even know what the big picture is, yet…", Nisa replied. "The guild's questioning him right now. There's also that deal with the factory back over in the Planeptune region that they're looking into. This evil plot runs deep. It'll probably take a while for us to get to the bottom of it."

"That sounds complicated...", Compa said, "I'm sure everything will work out."

"I hope so", Nisa replied, "...What am I saying? Of course justice will prevail!" Nisa began to chuckle and took another bite out of her takoyaki.

* * *

**Back at the Cult of Busty Blondes Meeting…**

"Being friends isn't so bad", Steamax explained, "I've been friends with master for years, and it's a great relationship."

"I don't think your relationship would be ruined if you told her how you felt", Million Arthur added. "Good friendships are too strong to be broken so easily! You have nothing to fear!"

IF sighed. "Wouldn't it still be kind of awkward, though?"

"It is possible that she would let you down easy. Such is the talent of a busty blonde, acquired after being asked out by so many hopefuls", Affimojas replied.

"Even if she does friendzone you, you still have me!", RED announced, proudly.

"Yeah… that doesn't sound so bad", IF muttered. "Thanks, everyone."

Affimojas looked over to the clock before clapping his hands together. "Well, that seems to be all the time we have for today. Thank you all for coming! And remember: behind all that bustiness, is a big heart!"

Everyone got up from their chairs and waved goodbye, while Steamax helped put the folding chairs away. As IF and RED approached the exit, IF felt someone's hand tap her shoulder.

"Good luck out there!", Million Arthur said with a grin.

RED, feeling that her wifey was being contested, glared at the blonde. "Hey! Hands off the merchandise!", she blurted out.

Million Arthur withdrew her hand. "Oh, sorry! You two are pretty cute, we should hang out somet-"

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" A short girl with light blue hair ties into pigtails and wearing a black swimsuit like outfit barged through the exit doors.

"Ch-Cheekama! I was just… it's just a get together, you know?" Million Arthur replied nervously.

"We have work to do! You're coming with me!", Cheekama barked. She grabbed Million Arthur by the ear and pulled her away.

"S-see you girls around…!", was all the blonde was able to mouth off before getting pulled away.

IF crossed her arms. "...Why does this situation feel so familiar?"

RED shrugged. "Beats me. Let's go meet up with Nisa and Compa!"

IF nodded. "I'll text them so we can meet up."

As IF and RED left the gymnasium, a certain little rodent began to tail them…

"If she won't show me her picture, then I'll just follow that blue washboard until she meets up with her, chu!"

However, the gray little stalker wasn't the only one tailing them. A hidden figure kept to the shadows among the rooftops, also pursuing IF and RED…

* * *

IF and RED finally met up with Nisa and Compa in the parking lot of the shopping center. The sun had just about set, painting the landscape with an orange hue. Nisa was carrying a few of Compa's bags, while Compa held some of her own. They all stood underneath a light in the parking lot.

"So, how was that get together?", Nisa asked.

"It was alright", RED answered.

"Just alright? How odd. I'd think that sort of thing would be great for you", Nisa replied.

"She's just upset because she made a rival", IF shrugged.

"A rival? Ohhh, tell us more!", Compa replied.

As their conversation continued, the little rodent hid behind a car. "Hm… now let's see…" He muttered to himself. He eyed the group to search for his target. "There's that boring brunette… and that redhead… some other washboard with a scarf… and… and…!" The rodent's heart skipped a beat when he laid his eyes upon the young nurse. "Oh, baby! I hit the jackpot!" His eyes cartoonishly turned into a pair of beating hearts.

Unable to restrain himself, the short stalker leapt through the air towards Compa, only to be swatted into the ground by one of the bags Nisa was holding. Everyone looked down at the would-be attacker. He remained on the ground completely motionless, save for his twitching tail.

"What the hell? What is this thing?", IF blurted out.

"Probably just a stray monster. Good job beating it up!", RED said to Nisa.

"No, wait. It looks like a mouse", Compa said, "He looks harmless!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. He was headed right for you", Nisa replied.

"Come on, let's give him some space to breathe", Compa spoke up. Everyone took two steps back and all kept their eyes on the rodent. After a few moments, he got up onto his feet.

"Ch-chu… You didn't have to hit me so hard!", he grumbled.

IF took out her gun and pointed it at the creepy little stalker. "You have ten seconds to explain yourself."

"Wait a second, Iffy. This guy was at that meeting earlier!", RED interrupted.

IF looked down upon the rat. "...Eight seconds."

The rodent cried out. "W-wait! Don't shoot! I just wanted to see the girl you were talking about! P-please don't kill me!"

"Huh? What girl?", Compa asked.

IF's eyes widened with surprise. At this point, IF realized that this line of questioning shouldn't continue. She put her gun away and crossed her arms. "...Who are you, anyway?"

"The name's Warechu, chu", the rodent announced, "And someday, I'll become one of the most popular mascots in Gamindustri."

"Nice to meet you, Warechuchu!", Compa replied.

"No, no, that's one 'chu' too many, chu!", Warechu blurted out.

"Mr. Mouse, the way you say 'chu' so much reminds me of a train!", Compa smiled.

IF glared at Warechu, and pretty much became tunnel-visioned thanks to her frustration. Due to this, she didn't notice the small projectile headed straight for her head. At the last second, RED smacked it away with a frisbee. The sound of the deflection snapped IF out of her trance.

"Iffy! We're under attack!", RED announced. Everyone became alert and dropped whatever they were holding to bring out their weapons. Warechu ducked out of the way and hid behind a car. RED looked at the ground to see what she had just deflected. "A kunai… it's a ninja!"

"What the hell would a ninja want with us?", IF grumbled.

"Everyone get ready! The enemy can strike from everywhere!", Nisa called out. After a few seconds, another kunai broke the light that the group was under, leaving them in darkness.

"Midaresaki!", a voice cried out. Suddenly, a figure dashed in from the shadows and started striking everyone with a pair of flaming swords, hitting all four of the girls with a swirling combo before a single one could react.

"Where'd they go?!", IF said.

RED looked up into the air, towards the direction where the first kunai was thrown from. "Up there!" On top of a neighboring light, a single figure could be seen standing on top of it.

IF took out her gun and began to shoot at the figure, only for the figure to promptly vanish, using the cover of darkness to hide her whereabouts. She looked around, trying to relocate the attacker before their next strike.

"Iffy, look out!", RED cried out. She dashed over towards IF, and put herself between the brunette and the attacker's sword. The strike hit true, hitting the redhead. RED lost her balance, and began to fall over. Before she hit the ground, IF caught RED in her arms.

"RED! Are you okay?", IF shouted.

"You're okay… right? Good…", RED muttered.

"Why didn't you do that?!", IF replied, a concerned look on her face.

"Didn't I say so before? I'll protect my wifey… with my… lifey…", RED spoke in a hushed tone, before finally passing out.

"RED? RED! Wake up!", IF cried.

"It hurts, doesn't it?", an unknown voiced spoke, so that the whole group could hear. "Losing a friend, and being unable to help them… I had to go through that, once. For two people. When that happened, I took a memento to remember them by…"

Suddenly, the figure appeared underneath a neighboring light that still worked. She wore a school uniform that was way too small for her. A gray sweater was tied around her waist along with the sheath of a sword. Her hair was orange with a swirly cowlick on top, with orange eyes to match.

The kunoichi raised a sword up and pointed it towards IF's party. "...And I'm going to take that memento back!"

**CHAPTER 20… THE CULT OF BUSTY BLONDES... END.**


	21. AQL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF faces off against an attacker at night. After a certain revelation, Nisa decides to investigate...

IF, sized up the attacker who stood under a working light while the one above IF was shattered, leaving her in the dark of the night, only being illuminated by the surrounding lights. Without breaking eye contact, she spoke. "Treat her wound, Compa. I'll deal with this."

Compa immediately obeyed and jogged over to take RED from IF's arms. With her hands now free, IF brought out her weapons and got into her battle stance before eyeing up her new opponent. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The ninja glared at IF. "Don't play dumb with me. You're holding them right now! The weapons!"

IF paused for a moment and looked at her qatars. "...These?", she asked, "Some guy who works at the weapon shop in Planeptune gave them to me. Said that whoever left them never came back, or something."

"Do you really expect me to believe that someone would be that irresponsible? Giving away someone else's property? You must have stolen them!", the ninja replied defiantly.

"I'm telling the truth! Come on, we're not really gonna fight over this, are we?", IF sighed. For just a mere instant, IF blinked. That was enough time for the attacker to throw several kunais at IF, giving her only an instant to react. All IF was able to do was block to avoid getting hit in any vital areas, specifically her face and torso. With IF's view obscured by her own arm, she was blinded from the attacker's next move. The attacker dashed through the air to strike IF with her sword. This time, IF was able to deflect the attack with her own weapons. Their weapons were now locked together, with both girls struggling against each other to push the other person's weapons away.

"Damn it! Can't you see that this is all just a big misunderstanding?!", IF growled, before pushing the ninja back.

"Hand over those weapons! Then, I'll back off!", the ninja replied before pushing IF back. Both parties ended up disengaging a few steps backwards.

"Who the hell even are you?", IF asked, not letting her guard down.

"My name… is Marvelous!", the ninja replied, "...AQL!"

"MarvelousAQL?", IF muttered. "Even for me, that's a pretty weird name."

"She would know. Her name's 'IF'!", Nisa shouted, from the sidelines.

"A pretty iffy name, if I do say so myself", Compa added.

"Yeah! What does 'IF' even stand for?", Nisa replied.

"I'm not even sure myself…", Compa muttered.

"...Get back to healing, Compa!", IF barked. She turned back to face Marvelous. "Besides. My name's short and simple. Your name… it's completely bloated, like your…", IF's words trailed off, distracted by Marvelous' shirt.

"Every name means something", Marvelous replied. "Allow me to spell it out for you!" In an instant, she vanished, and reappeared behind IF, slashing at the unsuspecting brunette. "M, for 'Marvelous'!"

IF couldn't respond in time, and took the whole blow from behind. When she turned around to face Marvelous, she had already vanished again. Instinctively, she performed a spin attack to repel any other attacks, and was able to block the next blow.

"AQ, for 'Artistic Quality'!", Marvelous shouted before vanishing once more. IF, eager to not get surprised again, stumbled over to place herself underneath one of the working lights in an effort to track down the ninja before her next attack.

"L..", IF was able to hear Marvelous before she could see her. She looked around frantically, wondering where she's strike from next. Suddenly, she noticed something off about the lighting as a shadow began to grow beneath her. Her eyes widened when she realized there was something huge coming down on her from above.

"...is for 'Liveware'!", Marvelous cried out. She descended rapidly, bringing down a giant futomaki down upon IF. "And together… I'm Marvelous, AQL!"

"...Aw, crap!", IF muttered before bringing her weapons up. She leapt into the air towards the oversized sushi roll and began to slash away at it, dicing it up so she wouldn't be crushed by it. "Heaven Demon!", she shouted.

Pieces of of chopped sushi were sent flying in all directions as IF sliced them, making a mess of fishy proportions around her. For Nisa, this was the perfect chance for a late night snack. The scarfed heroine caught several pieces of sushi and snacked on them as she watched the battle. "Letting good food go to waste is a crime!"

IF ended up slicing the entire futomaki into hundreds of smaller sushi rolls, leaving nothing left of Marvelous' enormous food item. Now uninhibited, IF leaped into the air towards the ninja to try to strike her directly. Her weapons lit up with flames as she approached Marvelous, ready to strike with another vicious combo. "Flame Soul Slice!"

Marvelous reacted in a split second and brought out her sword to connect with IF's weapons. They both clashed, temporarily suspended in mid-air as the impact caused a shockwave around them, powerful enough to cause Nisa's scarf to flow like it was being blown by the wind. The wind extinguished the flames surrounding IF's weapons, causing her attack to be no different than a normal strike.

IF kicked herself away from Marvelous and landed back onto the ground. Marvelous landed just in front of Nisa, Compa and RED, with her back facing them. The ninja paid no attention to any of the other girls, only showing interest towards the Gust of Wind. IF, seeing Marvelous in such an exposed position, called out to her allies. "Why aren't you doing anything?!"

"Stay out of this! I only care about getting the weapons back from her", Marvelous said to those watching from the sidelines.

"You heard her, IF. Sometimes, you have to prove yourself to others. Show her your resolve!", Nisa shouted. IF grit her teeth, showing visible displeasure with Nisa's response.

"I'm not leaving without those weapons!", Marvelous called out.

"Yeah, yeah, you said that already. What are these things to you, anyway?", IF replied.

"AQ… and L… they're all I have left of them", Marvelous explained. "We were on an intel gathering mission in PC Continent. They shouldn't have had any idea we were there. But somehow… they did. I was the fastest one, so… they held them off so I…" Her voice cracked as her words trailed off. She wiped her eyes before continuing. "...I bare their names along with mine, in their memory."

Nisa's eyes lit up as she made a connection within her head, a sense of deja vu coming over her. She had heard this tale before, from K-Sha and Lid.

"What, and I'm supposed to just chuck these things over to you because of that?", IF scoffed.

"No...", Marvelous replied, "...You're supposed to lose."

"Bold words for someone who attacks by throwing food at people", IF muttered.

"Trust me, I have other moves you won't be able to take so likely", Marvelous said, bringing her hands up in front of her bulging chest. She performed several hand signs before placing one hand on the ground, resulting in a puff of smoke enveloping the ninja. When the smoke cleared, Marvelous was surrounded by a multitude of copies of herself. The real Marvelous then pointed towards IF, prompting her copies to all move in simultaneously to attack the brunette.

IF was able to fend off the first couple of them, but was very quickly overwhelmed. Soon, the copies began to hold her down and tried to pry the weapons away from her.

Nisa watched with her arms crossed, her grip tightening as she held herself back from intervening. She couldn't help but let the words spill out of her lips. "IF, you're better than this!"

Something clicked in IF's mind, causing her to yell with rage. She kicked several Marvelous copies away and slipped away from their grasp. She blasted everyone around her with flames and began to take on the bulk of the ninja's dopplegangers. Something overcame her, and her eyes flickered with a hue of red. For an instant, Nisa thought she saw IF's outfit's color scheme completely change from it's ordinary colors.

One after another, Marvelous' copies leapt towards IF to attempt to take her down, only for the brunette to slice through them with ease, vanishing into smoke upon taking lethal damage. Marvelous watched from afar, surprised at how easily IF was defeating her clone army.

"Impossible… She never displayed any abilities like this when I was studying her!", Marvelous thought. "What is this power?!"

IF continued to rip through the small army of clones in a display of fire and fury, leaving fiery destruction in her wake. "Come on!", she shouted, "I'll send each and everyone of you directly to hell!"

"I didn't expect my words to resonate with her this much", Nisa thought to herself. "What's gotten into her?"

Marvelous watched in increasing panic as IF disposed of what remained of her barrage of copies. She had to think of response, and fast. "I… I need to rethink my strategy!", she thought. Just as she was about to make her escape, IF was already charging at her with a high speed combo. Marvelous used her sword to block and deflect IF's rush attacks, and found complete success.

"Her attacks… she's just swinging wildly!", Marvelous thought. The ninja responded with a calculated strike to the head, stopping IF in her tracks and seemingly snapping out of whatever had come over her and leaving her in a complete daze. Having stopped the brunette in her tracks, Marvelous began to make a run for it. On her way out, she paused as she made direct eye contact with Nisa, who was still watching from the sidelines. After a painfully long moment, Marvelous continued to run and made her escape, completely uninhibited by Nisa.

Nisa walked over to IF and snapped her fingers a few times in front of IF's face, receiving no response. She nudged the brunette's shoulder a few times, and causing her to fall over. Nisa looked over to Compa. "Compa… I don't know what that ninja did, but IF's completely out of it!"

Compa tossed RED over one of her shoulders and walked over to IF before easily tossing the brunette over her other shoulder. Nisa watched in shock.

"I didn't know you were this strong!", Nisa blurted out.

"I have to help carry patients all the time at the hospital. Things like this are pretty easy for me!", Compa replied.

"I see…", Nisa muttered. She looked around the dark parking lot and crossed her arms. "Let's go find some place to get some shuteye." Compa nodded and the two girls made their leave.

Underneath a nearby car, Warechu remained, shaking with fear. "Th-these girls are scary strong, chu…"

* * *

The next morning, IF's eyes fluttered open. She groaned and rubbed her head before sitting up from her resting position. When she looked around, she didn't recognize where she was at all. All she could tell was that it was a bedroom.

"Alright, where am I this time?", IF muttered.

A few moments later, Broccoli appeared at the door. "She's awake, nyu", the little girl said.

"Excellent. This is clearly a testament to the healing properties of Doc P", MAGES. replied.

"We were lucky to get a test subject on such short notice", Vio added. "Let's call her friends to let them know she's awoken."

MAGES. took out her phone and started calling Nisa. "Hm… she's busy. I'll try again in a few minutes."

* * *

"Marvelous? I wouldn't know about her", Lid spoke to Nisa over the phone, "We were never told about other operatives unless we had to interact with them during out missions."

"I see", Nisa replied. "I have another question, then. She mentioned that she and her teammates were compromised on a mission. I thought it sounded like what you had told me before, so… what do you make of that?"

"Another leak?", Lid replied, "...If what you're telling me is true, then that could only mean that there was a traitor in our organization."

"A traitor?", Nisa said.

"Yes… somebody must have been leaking info about our operations on PC Continent to some of the factions over there. I didn't know that we K-Sha and I weren't the only ones affected by this", Lid continued. "Whoever it is, must be a high ranking operative. Someone with enough security clearance to access the list of operatives currently working within PC Continent."

"Hm. Maybe this is worth looking into", Nisa replied.

"You want to find out who the traitor is?", Lid asked.

"I can't help but feel like I have to intervene. People's lives are on the line, here. Who knows how many other people will be in trouble because of these leaks?", Nisa explained. "That ninja, Marvelous… and you and K-Sha. Nobody else should be left to suffer because of this!"

There was a pause on Lid's end of the conversation. "...If that's the case, then you should head to Lastation. That's where the organization K-Sha and I worked for is based. I'll text you the details."

"Thank you, Lid. I promise, I'll get to the bottom of this!", Nisa replied. The call ended, and after a few moments, Nisa received a message detailing the whereabouts on the organization and other details she needed to know about it. Before she could read it, she received another phone call. "Nisa, here!"

"Nisa. It is I, MAGES.. V has come to", MAGES. greeted.

"Who?", Nisa replied in confusion.

"Er, I mean IF. IF has awoken", MAGES. clarified. "I'm not sure where that came from."

"Oh, good! I take it that your drink worked?", Nisa asked.

"Of course it did. Such is the power of the ultimate beverage", MAGES. chuckled.

"We'll go pick her up as soon as we can!", Nisa said, before closing the phone.

"Was that about Iffy?", Compa asked.

"Yup. She's all fine!", Nisa replied.

"What a relief!", RED cheered.

"That's what she should be saying about you. Last time she saw you, you pretty much took a bullet for her!", Nisa said.

"Hehe! I definitely gained some relationship points because of this. One step closer to the hotel event!", RED declared with a wink.

"Come on, we have some filling in to do. We're going to Lastation", Nisa replied.

"Lastation? What for?", Compa asked.

"There's something I need to investigate. I'll tell you both about it on the way", Nisa explained before beginning to lead the way. It didn't take long for them arrive at MAGES.'s self-proclaimed "laboratory", which was really no more than an apartment above a TV shop. Once inside, Nisa explained her plans to go to Lastation to everyone present.

"An interesting quest", MAGES. muttered. "...Perhaps I'll go with you."

"I'll go as well. Perhaps there is a connection between this organization and the one I worked for", Vio added.

"In that case, I'll stay behind and get the Doc P mass produced, nyu", Broccoli said.

"Well ain't this a crowd", IF sighed.

"We'll easily be able to cover way more ground like this", Nisa responded promptly to IF. "This will be an intelligence gathering mission. Stealth is a must!"

"Interesting. That would be a refreshing change of pace", IF replied.

"I don't know how I can help, but I'll stick around and support you the whole way!", Compa said.

"M-me too!", RED blurted out.

"It's settled, then. To Lastation, we go!", Nisa declared, pointing forward.

"Actually, it's that way", MAGES. said, pointing in the opposite direction.

"I'm pretty sure it's that way, nyu", Broccoli butted in, pointing in another direction.

"Don't be silly. It's definitely that way", Vio added, pointing in yet another direction.

"You know what? I'll just look it up", IF shrugged before taking out her phone.

_With this chapter of their adventure coming to a close, what awaited our heroes in Lastation? Just how deep the the 'traitor' conspiracy go? What new wifeys will RED acquire? Is this the last they've seen of Marvelous? What sort of direction will Elsa take Athletic Enterprises into? Who else will our heroes meet on their adventure?_

_Find out in future chapters of…_

_Makerdimension Neptunia!_

**CHAPTER 21… AQL... END.**


	22. She's Gonna Carry That Weight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nisa recalls an event from the past that comes back to haunt her.

_My name is Nisa. In case you didn't know, I'm Gamindustri's one and only keeper of Justice. Currently, I have a promising young adventurer under my wing. Someone I can train, for the future of this world. Being the one and only hero of the world does get lonely, you know. But she isn't the first person I've ever worked with. Before her, there was another._

_This is the story of how I lost her. My partner in crime. My friend…_

* * *

_Lastation, Night. Several Years Ago…_

Nisa stood on a rooftop, keeping watch over the streets below. Her phone was in hand, ready to answer a call on short notice. As soon as it vibrated, she picked up.

"Talk to me!", Nisa answered.

"The suspects are on the move. I tagged their vehicle. Get ready to tail them. I'll be right behind you!", the voice on the phone said. "And don't even think about engaging them without me!"

"Oh come now. You can count on me!", Nisa nodded before closing. She suddenly spotted a truck with a hastily drawn dragon symbol on the roof. With a smirk, the blue-haired woman leapt from rooftop to rooftop as she followed the marked target.

_It was nothing out of the ordinary. We were cracking down on a lead to someone selling pirated hardware. Someone who has been on the run for months. But we weren't prepared for what we were going to face. Perhaps if we had simply spent more time gathering intel, it would have made a difference..._

Nisa followed the truck through the city all the way over to one of the many warehouses at the edge of town. Following her partner's orders, she waited before going in.

"Are you ready for this?", a voice called out.

Nisa turned around and nodded at her partner. "Spike, what's the plan?" Spike fashioned a black karate gi with a white belt and boots. Her hair was short, red and spiky.

"We're gonna go in and hit 'em nice and quick", Spike replied, punching her palm. "Think you can keep up?"

Nisa smirked back at her partner. "Whoever gets the target first, the other one pays for din- hey! That's cheating!"

While Nisa was speaking, Spike was already on her way into the warehouse. She smashed through a window on the roof and made her way inside. Nisa followed shortly after.

"What the hell was that?!", one of the suspects shouted.

"Aw, crap! We're busted! Run away!", another one said.

"Not so fast!", Spike shouted. She put her hands together and charged an energy blast for a few seconds before unleashing it upon the black market traders. "Turtle Wave! Haaaaaa!", Spike growled. The red wave of energy destroyed some crates of contraband and knocked out nearby traders. Those who managed not to get hit had their exit blocked by Nisa.

"Hands up and surrender! Justice has finally caught up with you!", Nisa announced.

The suspects cowered in fear until someone spoke up. "Wait a minute. You mean the only thing trying to stop us is this crazy chick?" The mobsters all exchanged looks with each other and eyed Nisa up and down.

"Well, you could either deal with me or the one who can fire energy blasts. Take your pick!", Nisa replied, confidently.

"What kind of choices are those? Of course we're gonna pick the washboard with no powers!", one of the gangsters called out.

A glint shone in Nisa's eyes and she reached into her bag for a moment before beginning to unleash a barrage of knives upon the unsuspecting enemies. At this point, the illegal traders were trapped inside, having to deal with either one or the other of the duo of crime fighters.

Though most of them panicked and scattered around the warehouse, one of them was completely composed amidst the panic. Her skin was dark and she wore a white tank-top, jeans, and a cowboy hat. "You homies are pathetic! Lemme show y'all how it's done!", she said. She grabbed a crowbar and began prying open one of the crates.

"You there! Don't move!", Spike called out, "Or I'll shoot!"

"Yeah? Well go ahead, hotshot!", the thug barked, "I ain't scared of y'all!" This was followed by her pointing in different directions with her hands. Right, jump, right, left, jump… She continued this in sequence before finishing by pointing at Spike.

Having seen enough, Spike blasted the thug with another energy blast. The attack struck the thug directly, causing an explosion upon impact. Smoke clouded Spike's vision for a few seconds. When it cleared, the thug was revealed to be standing there as she was before, completely unscathed.

"What the- ...How?!", Spike muttered.

"In-freaking-vincibility, amiga!", the thug grinned.

Spike felt a chill go up her spine and began to feel uneasy. "You… who are you?"

The thug pulled reached into the now open crate next to her and pulled out a rocket launcher. She yelled, "I'm Rockstar, baby!", before firing the weapon.

Spike leapt out of the way, able to avoid being hit directly. The explosion sent her flying, crashing into several crates. She groaned and rubbed her head before kicking up into the air and landing back on her feet.

"That not enough for you?", Rockstar called out. "Give me a second. I've gotta 'nother gift for ya, comin' right up!"

Spike dove for cover, out of Rockstar's sight. She took a second to think to herself. "She has to reload… that's when I'll attack!" Spike peered over one of the crates to locate where the attacker was going to aim for next. An idea popped into her head, and she grabbed a piece of debris. She threw it away from herself, attracting Rockstar's attention. Just as Spike predicted, the thug unleashed a rocket towards the noise created by Spike's diversion.

Spike leapt on top of a crate and unleashed a barrage of energy blasts towards Rockstar, determined to end this there and now.

"Spike, what're you doing?!", Nisa called out. "You're going to bring the whole place down!"

"This one's different! She's loaded with heavy firearms!", Spike shouted back. She stopped firing her attacks to take a look at the results of her attack. Panting could be heard coming from the dust cloud emanating from the target location, until Rockstar became visible.

"Heh… that's some real good stuff you got there", Rockstar taunted. Spike's attacks seemed to have some effect, though not as much as she would have liked. "Got me right as my invincibility ended…"

Not wasting another second, Spike dashed up towards Rockstar and tackled her down onto the ground. She struggled for a few moments to finally get her in an arm lock to restrict the thug in place.

"Police brutality! Police brutality!", Rockstar groaned.

"We're not cops", Spike muttered. "This is the end of the line for you."

"You're not even cops? ...The hell are you trying so hard for then?", the thug asked.

"You're selling illegal consoles to would-be criminals. Are you really going to try to justify that?", Spike replied.

Rockstar squirmed within Spike's grasp. "I freakin' hate you goody-two-shoes types. Always butting your heads in other people's business... Cash is cash, dammit!"

"You wouldn't have to worry about anything if you did the right thing!", Spike said.

"Screw that, I do what I want!", Rockstar growled.

"You forfeited that right when you decided to break the law!", Spike shouted.

Rockstar grew silent for a few moments and stopped squirming. "Wanna know what else I'm gonna break?" Spike stared down at her in confusion. Rockstar turned her head so that she could see Spike. "...This whole damn warehouse!"

Suddenly, explosions started going off in every direction. In a matter of moments, the whole place was in complete ground shaking chaos. Rockstar took advantage of how disoriented Spike was and was able to free herself from her grasp, disappearing into the smoke.

Spike shook her head to try to recalibrate her senses. Debris was flying everywhere and it was getting harder to see by the second.

Nisa remained at the entrance, looking around for her partner. "Spike! We need to get out of-!" Before she could finish, the whole roof came down. Nisa dove out through the exit just in time into safety. A cloud of dust enveloped the area making it hard to see anything. Nisa pulled her goggles down from her forehead and over her eyes.

A few moments passed. Nisa waited for the chaos to die down before going into what was left of the warehouse. Firemen, ambulances and police officers quickly arrived at the scene and began hosing down the place and looking for survivors in the debris. The blue-haired girl called out to her partner, but received no response.

"Spike? Spike! Where are you…?", Nisa cried out. She looked around and began to panic more and more when her words received no response. A firefighter walked up to Nisa and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ma'am, it's not safe here. Please stand clear while we clean up the area", the firefighter said.

"But my friend is here somewhere!", Nisa replied frantically.

"Don't worry, ma'am, just leave it to us professionals", the firefighter reassured her.

Nisa took a deep breath and sighed before walking over to the sidewalk while the emergency responders did their thing. The black market traders who were fine were taken in by the police while the injured were loaded onto ambulances. Nisa kept watch to see if Spike was ever found. She waited, and waited, and waited… but to no avail.

_Minutes turned into hours. Hours became days. Days became a week. After all that time, Spike was never found. Not even her body was found. To this day, I have no idea what happened. She just… vanished. That other girl she was fighting, Rockstar, was also nowhere to be found._

_Regardless of this outcome, I can't let this get me down. Spike wouldn't want me to fall into despair. At this point, how could I? I'm part of a wonderful party at the moment, and we're on a pretty important quest._

_Still, I can't help but feel… off. This is my first time returning to Lastation since Spike's disappearance. My brain tells me to let it go, but my heart hopes for something different. Hoping that she's out there, somewhere…_

* * *

The party, now consisting of IF, Nisa, Compa, RED, MAGES., and Vio, finally arrived to Lastation by boat. The boat ride was pretty uneventful, save for an incident where an adventure was somehow flung overboard and promptly rescued. Upon reaching land, everyone decided to discuss their next move at the docks.

"Let's just go straight to the guild and speak with their leader. Hopefully they have some info we can use", Nisa announced to the group.

"Alright, then. You guys take a bus or something. I'll go on ahead on my bike", IF replied. She turned to look at Compa, hoping to take her along.

"Let me come with you, then. That way, we'll already have the info by the time everyone else catches up to us", Nisa said.

IF turned to look at Nisa for a moment before finally replying. "...Sure, why not?"

"Excellent! I don't think I've ever had the chance to ride on your bike yet!", Nisa smiled.

"If we're taking turns riding with Iffy, I call next!", RED butted in.

"I'm not giving out rides, you know", IF sighed. "Come on, Nisa. Let's go."

The two girls leaped onto IF's bike and set off into the streets of Lastation, leaving the rest of the party behind to use public transportation.

"Lastation, huh… pretty industrial for a city", IF said.

"The people of Lastation take their work very seriously", Nisa replied. Though, as a result, they're pretty isolated when it comes to the other nations. They'd rather do everything without any sort of help from them."

"Sounds pretty stubborn to me. Though, I guess I'm sort of like that sometimes", IF chuckled. The pair got caught at a red light. As they waited for the light to turn green, someone approached them. The stranger grabbed IF and punched her right in the face before pulling her off the bike.

"H-hey, what do you think you're doing?!", Nisa shouted. Instead of a reply, she received an elbow to the face, knocking her off the bike. The stranger laughed as she rode off through the red light.

"Thanks for the ride, homie!", the stranger said.

Nisa reached out towards the thug. "Get back here! This is grand… theft…", Nisa shouted, but stopped when she recognized who the thief was. "Rockstar… that's her!"

**CHAPTER 22… SHE'S GONNA CARRY THAT WEIGHT... END.**


	23. The Untouchable Rockstar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nisa and IF chase down yet another bike thief. The party gets together to discuss their next move.

"Hasta la vista, suckers!", the bike thief cackled as she rode away on her newly acquired vehicle.

IF shook her head, completely disoriented. "What… what just happened?", she muttered.

"Get up, IF! Someone's stolen your bike! ...Again!", Nisa shouted.

IF sighed. "You've gotta be freaking kidding me.

Nisa looked towards Rockstar as she was quickly getting away. Without thinking, Nisa ran over to a nearby bike rack and pulled out a notepad. She quickly scribbled "Sorry, had to borrow it!" and stuck it onto the rack before breaking one of the locks and grabbing a bike. She rode the bike over to IF. "Hop on!"

IF looked at Nisa as if she were crazy. "This isn't even a motorbike! How are we supposed to catch up on _this_ piece of crap?"

"Hurry up, we don't have time to talk about those details!", Nisa replied quickly. IF rolled her eyes and hopped onto the bike pegs. In the next instant, Nisa began to peddle rapidly. "Don't worry! I won't let her get away!"

Rockstar began cruising, believing she had gotten away. "Heh. Too easy", she smirked. With her guard down, it was easy for Nisa and IF to catch up to her. The pair closed in on Rockstar until they were finally within reach. IF stretched out her arm to try to yank Rockstar off of her bike. The brunette managed to grab hold of the thief.

"What the hell?!", Rockstar blurted out. She turned to look at Nisa and IF, finally acknowledging their presence. She sucked her teeth in annoyance before performing a wheelie and speeding up away from them, leaving IF no choice but to let go.

"Nisa, we need to go faster!", IF called out.

"Already on it!", Nisa replied. She began to pedal even faster, to the point where it was hard to keep up with how fast the pedals were spinning. The bike seemed to soar through the air at astonishing speed. Nisa looked down, surprised by how fast they were going. She realized that the bike was, in fact, literally soaring through the air.

"Keep it up! We're catching up to her!", IF shouted.

"This isn't me! We're flying!", Nisa blurted out.

"What?", IF replied. She took a moment to look around, now realizing that Nisa's words weren't an exaggeration. "How is this happening?!"

"Look!", Nisa shouted. A girl dashed through the air above them, followed random pieces of debris. She moved effortlessly as if diving through water, completely uninhibited. Upon closer inspection, it was almost as if she were _falling_.

"I have an idea", IF said to Nisa. She placed both of her hands on top of Nisa's shoulders then pushed herself up. Just as she suspected, she began "falling" in the same direction as the girl who had flown past them. Now moving faster than Nisa, IF looked back at her partner as she flew ahead. "Keep tailing us!", she shouted.

Nisa looked up towards IF as she floated away, then back down at the bike she was riding. She decided to jump up into the air herself and completely abandon the "borrowed" bike. Now in mid-air, she decided to try something to gain more speed. She curled into a ball and spun around a few times before stretching out. "Justice Kick!", she shouted. Her powerful attack propelled her forward, easily passing IF and quickly catching up with the flying girl from earlier.

"Got the hang of it, huh?", the girl called out to Nisa.

"You're the one doing this, aren't you?", Nisa replied. "Who are you?"

"I'm Gravity Rush! Just 'Rush' is fine, too", the girl replied. Her hair was blonde with red highlights and her outfit was a sleeveless getup and matching boots. "I'm after that criminal, Rockstar!"

"Sounds like we're on the same side then!", Nisa grinned. A moment later, IF caught up to them.

"That's great! If we work together, this should be easy!", Gravity Rush smiled back. She looked forward towards Rockstar, who was still riding on the ground. "I'll speed us up. Stay close, I'll carry you!"

Gravity Rush dashed through the air, with Nisa and IF following closely within her gravitational field. In no time, they caught up to Rockstar.

"Just a little closer!", Nisa shouted.

"If I threw you, do you think you'll be able to get her off?", Gravity Rush asked.

"I'll go! It's _my_ bike, after all", IF replied.

"Alright then, get ready!", Gravity Rush nodded. She raised her right hand up and swiped it forward, sending IF flying towards their target. IF rapidly approached Rockstar and stretched her arms out. When she was finally within range, IF grabbed onto the thief's neck and tackled her off the bike. The bike lost balance and sped off for a bit before toppling over onto the ground. IF and Rockstar hit the ground rolling as Gravity Rush and Nisa began to catch up to them.

Rockstar groaned as she started to get back up on her feet. "Freaking A… Who goes this hard over a damn bike?!", she shouted.

IF pushed herself up and wiped some blood off of her cheek. "Do you really think… That you could just steal something… With no consequences?!"

Nisa and Gravity Rush walked up and stood in front of IF. "Just come quietly. This has gone on long enough", Gravity Rush muttered.

"Like hell I'm gonna surrender!", Rockstar barked. She reached behind her back and pulled out two guns, immediately firing them upon her pursuers. At this point, IF rolled her way to safety now that Nisa and Gravity Rush caught Rockstar's attention. Gravity Rush reacted just in time to use her powers to pull a car over in front of them to block the bullets. She took a few steps forward with the car acting as their shield before launching it towards their assailant.

Rockstar dove out of the way, avoiding the massive projectile entirely. When she looked up, she saw Nisa dashing towards her. Before she could react, Nisa had already kicked her square in the chest. The wind was completely knocked out of her, and she landed flat on her back. Nisa raised her foot up and planted it right on Rockstar's chest, causing the thug to choke as she tried to inhale.

"You and I have something _personal_ to talk about", Nisa talked down to her.

Rockstar glared up at Nisa. "I've never even seen you before!", she barked.

"Think about it! Several years ago, a warehouse bust!", Nisa shouted. "The whole place exploded!"

There was a confused look on the face of the thief. "...You know what, I do remember. What about it?"

"The person you were fighting… where are they?", Nisa pressed with not just her question, but with her heel.

Rockstar paused for a moment before answering. "How would I know that?! I got the hell out of there when I had the chance!"

"No, that can't be… you HAVE to know something!", Nisa replied.

Rockstar grit her teeth. "I ain't takin' the fall for some other scrub! I dunno where your buddy is, you freaking weirdo! Now let me go! This is police brutality!"

"We're not even cops", IF shrugged as she approached the scene with her reobtained bike.

"That may be true, but she's wanted by the Lastation guild anyway", Gravity Rush crossed her arms. "Which is why I've been following her."

"What's she wanted for?", IF asked.

"...Grand theft auto", Gravity Rush replied.

IF crossed her arms. "I see."

"Come on, let's take her in", Gravity Rush suggested. She raised her hand up and lifted Rockstar up into the air with her powers. "Thanks for helping me nab her. Pass by the guild later, I'll split the reward with you two!"

"That works out for us. We were headed there anyway!", IF smiled.

Rockstar tried to get away, but was simply stuck in midair. "Damn it! Let me go!", she grumbled.

"I'll meet you there, then. Thanks again!", Rockstar waved before flying off with Rockstar in tow.

IF turned to Nisa before hopping onto her bike. "Come on, let's go." Nisa was unresponsive, and seemed to be in a daze. "Nisa? Hey, are you listening?"

"Huh?", the blue haired girl was deep in thought, and finally snapped out of it. "Oh, sorry about that."

"I didn't expect you to zone out like that. Kind of out of character, if you ask me", IF replied. "What's on your mind?"

Nisa hesitated before answering. "I'll tell your about it later. You… you go on ahead. I have to return the bike we took earlier."

"Well, if you insist. Don't keep us waiting!", IF said before revving up her bike and riding off.

Nisa began to walk over to the "borrowed" bike, lost in thought.

" _She has to know something. There's no way Spike could have just vanished into thin air…"_

* * *

After returning the bike, Nisa made her way over to the Lastation guild on foot. Expecting to be greeted by her friends, she was shocked to see who was actually there to greet her.

"How's it hanging?", Rockstar grinned, surrounded by a completely smug aura.

Nisa was stunned with shock. "You?! But how? You should be under arrest right now!"

"Paid a fee, got out free!", Rockstar chuckled as she walked over to Nisa. "I'm untouchable here. I can do whatever the hell I want, as long as I can afford it!" She got close to Nisa and whispered into her ear. "And trust me, I can _always_ afford it."

"There's no way it could be that easy to evade justice!", Nisa replied.

"Welcome to Lastation, loser!", Rockstar cackled. She flicked Nisa on the forehead before beginning to walk away.

"Wait!", Nisa called out to her. "Please, just… answer my question!" She didn't know how to react. She knew in her heart that Rockstar was guilty of a crime. But if the law allowed Rockstar to pay her way out of trouble, who was Nisa to argue with the rules set by the leaders of Lastation?

Rockstar stopped in her tracks. "...One question. Better pick your words wisely."

Nisa hesitated before speaking. "Where is-"

"NOT! Bahaha!", Rockstar laughed before spinning around. She approached the street before pointing in several different directions. At the end of this sequence, a car vanished out of thin air and Rockstar got inside. She rolled down the window and stretched her arm out, flipping Nisa the bird before driving off through a red light.

Nisa was dumbstruck and watched as Rockstar as she escaped form view. After a few moments, she finally sighed as she came to terms with the fact that she wasn't going to get any answers. She placed her hands on her hips and psyched herself up into a smile before turning around and walking into the guild. Inside, she found IF and Gravity Rush had already met up with the rest of the party.

"Oh, hey there!", Gravity Rush greeted. "Here's your share of the reward."

"Thank you! I see you've already become acquainted with everybody!", Nisa replied.

"I have to say, this is quite the party you've got here", Gravity Rush smiled.

"A bit too crowded, if you ask me", IF sighed. She turned to look at Nisa. "We haven't spoken to the guild leader yet. We were just waiting for you to get here first."

"Oh, you're here to speak with S? What about?", Gravity Rush asked.

"An investigation. We're looking into a string of leaks sent to PC Continent", Vio explained.

Gravity Rush had a surprised look on her face. "Oh wow, that seems pretty important… I hope you solve the case. I hear it's pretty bad over there."

"It'll only get worse if we can't put a stop to this. Keep an eye out for us, will you?", MAGES. said.

"Here's my number. I'll call you if I find anything fishy!", Gravity Rush nodded. She bowed before turning around and walking outside.

IF crossed her arms. "Alright. Now that everyone's here, let's get this moving." She walked over to the guild receptionist and requested to meet with the leader before returning to where the party was standing. After waiting a few minutes, they were called inside to the guild's head office.

"Welcome. I am S, the leader of the Lastation guild." S was dressed in the exact same getup as her Planeptune and Leanbox counterparts, making all three of them completely indistinguishable from each other. "I believe you're here to discuss an investigation?"

"That is correct. We have reason to believe that there is a traitor leaking information to forces within PC Continent", MAGES. explained.

"I see. Do you have any leads?", S asked.

"We think they're connected to a certain organization, since they were able to leak intel about them to the enemy", Vio replied.

"That certainly helps narrow it down", S nodded. "A moment, please." She brought up a holographic screen that displayed a list of several names belonging to different organizations based in Lastation. "Do any of these look familiar?"

IF skimmed the list, not recognizing anything. "Is it okay if I send this to someone?", she asked.

"This is top secret information", S replied. "...However, for something such as this, I can make an exception." IF nodded and took a picture of the list with her phone, then sent it to Lid.

Nisa did a fistpump and turned to face everyone. "This is good! We should split up and investigate! Everyone, take your pick!"

While everyone was deciding on which organization to investigate, IF waited for a reply from Lid. As if on cue, the reply arrived. It read:

_The one K-Sha and I are related to is "FoxPup"._

IF nodded and pointed at the screen. "I'll take that one."

"Alright then, that's settled. Remember, everyone. Our mission is to gather information and look for anything or anyone suspicious. Lives are on the line here!", Nisa announced.

* * *

A few hours had passed since the party split up. IF had looked up the location of FoxPup and was now scouting the area around their headquarters. Her plan? To infiltrate the building undetected and identify everyone with access to mission operations within PC Continent. She'd then regroup with everyone else and compare their findings before taking further actions.

This task would be a test of IF's abilities. It probably would've helped if Lid and K-Sha were also around to help, but it was too late to have them come over. IF eyed the facility up and down one last time before approaching it.

" _Mission start."_

**CHAPTER 23… THE UNTOUCHABLE ROCKSTAR... END.**


	24. Wac'ing a Punch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IF infiltrates a FoxPup facility to gather intelligence on a possible information leaker. While there, she encounters a strange, hungry old lady...

FoxPup headquarters was smaller than IF thought it would be, towering above her at only about three floors. For some sort of spy agency, it simply felt "off". Even as she approached the building, it didn't seem that imposing. As she drew closer, there was one question she had to answer within her mind.

 _How does one infiltrate a spy agency?_ Surely it couldn't be that easy. The security must be top notch. In her mind, she ran through different scenarios. Maybe she could use a box, like Lid? Steal someone's clothing and use it as a disguise? Ask for a tour and sneak off? No, stuff like that only works in movies. This was the real deal. Maybe she should have asked Lid or K-Sha for some tips... Well, too late now. Actually, scratch that. She could easily just text them, of course. After a quick message to them, IF received a reply explaining a verbal password she could recite to the front desk to get inside. With confidence, IF stepped through the automatic sliding doors and walked past the two guards, right up to the front desk.

"May I help you?", the clerk asked.

IF paused for a moment before answering. "140.15."

The clerk blinked a few times in confusion. "Excuse me?"

IF froze for a moment and gulped. "You're… pretty good."

The clerk smiled and nodded. She pressed a button on her desk and a door next to her opened up, letting IF inside. The brunette was in disbelief that the strange "passwords" actually worked. She nodded at the clerk before actually walking through the door. The next room had six elevators and two stairwells parallel to each other. When IF went to press the button to call an elevator, she noticed that there was a "down" button. In that instant, the building's relatively small size began to make sense to IF. When the elevator arrived, her suspicions were confirmed- most of the building was underground. Now, all she had to do was figure out which way to go from here…

She looked around for some sort of map to guide her way, and found it on a wall. Every single floor, from the top floor to fifteen levels of basement. On the list, she found the locations of many different facilities, including a cafeteria, weapon storage, a gym, a firing range, a "stealth training" room, and even an in-house theater! IF eyed the wall up and down, searching for a place where information might be stored. This is when something caught her eye: the _Central_ _Intelligence Storage Room_. It was just past the "stealth training" room.

IF took a photo of the map with her phone and began to make her way down the facility to reach the training room. She peered inside before going in. What she saw was not a giant room or anything, but a hallway.

"Huh? This is weird. What kind of training room is just a hallway?", IF thought to herself.

She stepped inside and began to walk down the hallway. Upon closer inspection, something became clear. It wasn't just a hallway, but a series of hallways. _A maze_. That made sense for IF, since this was supposed to be a room for stealth training. The problem was, this was nothing but a maze. How was anyone supposed to practice stealth here?

This was when IF noticed something odd. Someone was behind her. How long had they been following her? Her cover was blown. Mission failed. Well, the least she could do now is look at who was capturing her. She turned around and saw…

A blob.

A monster.

A ghost…?

Whatever it was, it was huge. And it was coming after her, fast. IF quickly turned around and dashed away from the giant ghost. It didn't take her long to realize that she was actually running _away_ from the entrance because the ghost was in the way. Now, she found herself deeper into the maze. She turned around corner after corner, quickly getting herself.

To make matters worse, she was now surrounded by three different ghosts. Perhaps it was because she was panicking, but IF couldn't see when a hand reached out from another hallway and yanked her away from the ghosts, by the sleeve.

"Move, you idiot! They'll catch you!", a mysterious blonde woman said. Confused, but eager to not get caught, IF obeyed and followed her away from the ghosts. Once they were able to get away, they stopped within another location of the maze.

"Who're you?", the lady asked.

IF didn't know how to respond. Was this girl in FoxPup? She'd be in trouble if that happened. What would they do to her? Torture her for info? Find out who she works for? _Take away her phone_?

"Hey BRAT, are you going to answer me or not? I can just leave you behind, you know", the lady said in an annoyed tone.

With a gulp, IF replied, "Uh, sorry. I'm… IF."

"IF, huh. What kind of coat is that? It looks about ten- no, fifteen sizes too big for you", the lady snickered.

"...It's custom-made", IF muttered.

"It looks _ridiculous_!", the lady replied, "Kids have no sense of fashion these days."

IF sighed. "And who the hell are you, old lady?", IF grumbled.

The blonde snapped. "Do NOT. Call me. OLD. And for your information, I'm Lady Wac."

"Lady Wac?", IF said.

"Yes."

"Your dress is wack."

"...Hey! Ugh, that's it! Good luck finding your way out of here!", Lady Wac scoffed as she began to walk away.

"W-wait! I need your help!", IF reached her arm out towards Lady Wac. Her call went ignored. "Wac, please! I need to get through this maze!", she pleaded. "Lady Wac!"

Lady Wac stopped in her tracks. "I'm hungry. If you can give me a snack, I'll help you."

Upon hearing this, IF stopped and searched her pockets. The best she could find was some beef jerky CC2 had given her. "How's this?"

The blonde eyed the salty snack for a moment. "It'll do." IF passed the small bag to her, and Lady Wac began to chow down into it.

"So, how do we get through those ghosts?", IF asked.

"Well, we have to look for some special discs. Once we do that, leave everything to me", Lady Wac explained.

"That's it?", IF replied quickly.

"Well, it's not like I know where they are. I wouldn't be here if I did", Lady Wac shugged.

"Wait a minute. What _are_ you here for, anyway?", IF crossed her arms.

"Well, I'm here for some top-secret blueprints for my aunt!", Lady Wac smiled.

In her mind, IF thought to herself. Just how old was Wac's aunt? Oh well. It's not unheard of for old people to still be into building things. But isn't this going a little too far? This is a top-secret facility. Anyone caught here could get into loads of trouble. Then again, IF herself was in the same situation.

Lady Wac waved her hand in front of IF a few times. "Hey, are you listening? You can't zone out in a place like this."

IF shook her head to snap out of her overthinking trance. "R-right. I need to get to that intelligence room, too. Let's go find those discs!"

The pair ran off, traversing the maze in search for the discs Lady Wac had mentioned. They spent what seemed like forever traversing the halls and avoiding ghosts, to the point where they weren't sure where they were at that point. Finally, IF spoke up to the blonde.

"Are you sure there are even any discs here at all?", she said in a hushed tone.

Lady Wac turned around and shrugged. "There's always discs to be found in new dungeons, you know?"

"You're not even sure?!", IF blurted out in frustration, a bit too loud. This was a BIG mistake. Suddenly, the ghosts began converging upon their location.

"You stupid brat, now they've found us!", Lady Wac growled. She grabbed the brunette's sleeve and began to pull her along as she began to dash away from the approaching ghost monsters. As they scurried away, IF's phone fell out of her pocket.

"Wait!", IF cried out. She slipped away from Lady Wac's grasp and ran back to get her phone.

"What are you- ugh!", the blonde scoffed and watched as IF valiantly (or foolishly) ran directly back towards the ghosts to retrieve her phone.

When IF reached her phone, she sighed in relief. The relief lasted a mere moment, as by the time she looked up, the giant ghost monsters were looking down upon her. All the greenhorn adventurer could do was stare back, paralyzed. Just before she could reach a "Game Over" screen, she was yanked backwards. Lady Wac had sent out a hookshot shaped like a yellow circle with a mouth to save IF from her pixelated fate.

The yellow hookshot pulled IF into safety, but they weren't clear yet. The ghosts had found them, and they weren't about to lose them again so easily.

"Don't just stand there! Run!", Lady Wac barked. IF didn't think twice, and promptly obeyed. They ran away from the monsters as fast as they could, but this time, they were unable to lose them. At one point, IF tried shooting one of them with her gun, but the bullets went right through them. It didn't seem like fighting these things head on was going to work, and at the speed these things were keeping up with them, it was unlikely they would be able to shake them off this time.

"This is all your fault! I should've left you behind and gotten out of here on my own!", Lady Wac complained as she turned around a corner. If it weren't for the fact that this story is based off of a video-game, there would be no way they would be able to run much longer.

IF felt guilty, and didn't know what to do besides simply follow along. It was better if she just let Lady Wac handle everything, since she at least had a plan. Well, right now, that plan just consisted of not letting the ghosts catch them. As they ran, Lady Wac snacked on the bag of jerky IF had supplied her with earlier. Another ghost showed up in front of them, causing the two girls to split up.

Now on her own, IF dashed through the halls, trying to lose her giant pursuers. Soon, she realized something bad- a dead end. She was now stuck between a wall, and two giant ghost monsters. IF brought out her weapons and blasted the enemies with fire, but they had no effect. Being ghosts, her attacks just went through them.

IF gulped. What was going to happen now? Was this the end? Would she be brought in for questioning? Silenced? Did she even see too much? Would she ever see the light of day again? She wouldn't be able to get the latest phone, or see her friends again now. After all this trouble, she was gonna lose in some deep underground maze, and nobody would know until far after the fact. Her mission… had failed.

"I'm sorry, everyone…", she muttered, accepting defeat.

* * *

"Wow, that mission was so easy!", RED cheered as she walked back into the Lastation guild with Compa. Everyone else had already returned.

"Yeah, I can't wait to share what we've found!", Compa added.

"After this, we should go out to eat together!", Nisa spoke up.

"Good idea. We can help advertise the wonders of Doc P when we go out", MAGES. grinned.

"I'm surprised we were able to synthesize it so quickly!", Vio said to MAGES.

"What kind of mad magician would I be if I couldn't do something as simple as mix a magic potion together?", MAGES. replied.

Vio paused, thinking to herself for a moment. "Good point."

S walked into the room. "Welcome back. I trust you've all returned from your investigations with some good intel?", she looked around the party. "...Wait. Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"Oh, that's right. Iffy isn't back yet", Compa said.

"I'm sure she's on her way back right now, ready to eagerly share her findings with us", Nisa said, "She's got everything under control!"

* * *

IF had completely lost control of the situation. Now she was all alone in a maze, where nobody could find her. The worst part? _She had no phone signal here_. The absolute horror of this fact dawned upon IF quickly. She couldn't call for help at all. Where was Lady Wac? Well, not like it mattered at this point. She was so upset earlier, that she surely took this chance to just leave IF behind, like she said she should have done earlier.

She closed her eyes as she braced herself for the inevitable…

MAKERDIMENSION

NEPTUNIA...

BAD END.

.

.

.

.

At least, it would have been the end, if it weren't for a sudden "beep" that echoed through the maze. IF opened her eyes, wondering why the credits weren't rolling yet. The giant ghost monsters were now blue, with terrified looks on _their_ faces. IF stared at them in confusion, wondering what was going on before her. What happened next was something she couldn't have foreseen.

A giant woman showed up from behind and grabbed the two ghosts, one in each hand, and… ate them. This caused IF to back up even more, until she reached the wall. The woman looked down at her.

"Wait a second…", IF muttered. "...Wac?"

The giant blonde woman looked down at IF. "Teehee, you look pretty delicious when you're scared. If I didn't know any better, I'd gobble you up right now!", she teased.

IF was even more scared now. This was just like that nightmare she had, not too long ago…

"No, but seriously. This won't last forever, so come on!", Lady Wac spoke up. She lowered her hand down so IF could climb onto it. "We'll be able to cruise out of here while I'm like this. Just hang on tight!"

IF wasn't exactly in the position to refuse, so she quickly climbed into Lady Wac's hand. Once she was secure, the blonde got up and began to run through the halls.

"What about the other ghosts?", IF asked. She had to shout in order for Lady Wac to hear her.

"Already got 'em. But they won't be gone for long. More will- Ah!", the giant woman stopped herself when she reached a dead end. A dead end with a door, that is.

"Is that what I think it is?", IF said.

"If you're thinking this is the entrance, then no. This has to be the end of the maze", Lady Wac replied. "I already marked the entrance, just in case."

IF was surprised. Why didn't she think of that? "That's great! Let's just go ahead and-"

"...I can't."

"Why?"

"I'm still big", Lady Wac replied, a little embarrassed.

"Can't you just change back to normal?", IF asked.

"If I could, I would have already!", the blonde sighed.

IF leapt out of Lady Wac's hand and landed on the floor. She looked behind Lady Wac nervously to check and see if there were any more monsters approaching. Her eyes widened when she saw that there were indeed a set of four monsters floating down the hall towards them.

"They're coming this way!", IF shouted.

"Don't worry. As long as I'm like this, I'll be able to gobble them right up!", Lady Wac said reassuringly. She turned around to face the approaching ghosts, ready for her second serving. However, as they drew closer, she began to shrink. When she finally returned to her original size, she turned to IF and spoke plainly. "Run." The two of them then made a mad dash for the exit and were just barely able to slam the door shut.

"Okay, now that that's over with... This should be the intelligence room, right?", IF said. The room was well-lit and had many file cabinets and shelves lined up, resembling a library. Down one of the halls were tables with computers on them. Lady Wac wasted no time going to look for the blueprint she was looking for.

"Don't worry about me. Just look for whatever you came here for", Lady Wac muttered.

* * *

IF decided that the best place to start was to check one of the computers. Luckily, she didn't have to sign in. On the screen was a simple search box. After a moment of deliberation, IF elected to simply type in "PC Continent". Several results popped up onto the screen. IF made sure to take clear pictures with her phone of her findings. This went on for a while, as she wanted to make sure she was very thorough. After all, there was no way she'd be coming back here after having to deal with those ghosts.

Well, technically, Lady Wac dealt with them. Based off of IF's own performance back there, she knew she still had a lot to learn. Some time after she began, Lady Wac walked over with a blueprint enclosed within a tube in hand.

"I already found what I came for. What about you?", the blonde asked, peering over IF's shoulder. She saw IF going through different files on the screen and all the pictures she was taking of them. "I hope you have enough memory for all of that."

"Don't worry. When it comes to phones at least, I'm an expert!", IF smiled. It's a good thing she had an extra memory card for more storage. After basically _photo_ copying everything about PC Continent, she glanced towards Lady Wac. "Okay, let's get out of here."

Luckily for them, there was a teleporter to the outside of the Stealth Training room within the intelligence room. IF made a mental note to herself to buy an "Eject Button" item as soon as possible for future endeavours. Once back in the outside hallway, they kept their heads down as they headed for the elevators. On their way there, they passed by a maintenance worker fixing some sort of control panel.

"Huh", the maintenance worker muttered, "That's weird. It's set to 'Retro'. Isn't that supposed to be really hard? Oh well. No point leaving it on that difficulty…"

The pair scurried along quickly, ignoring the worker completely. They got outside without a hitch.

* * *

"Ah, there she is!", Compa said as IF walked through the guild's sliding doors.

S quickly recognized the blonde who had walked in with IF. "Lady Wac. Always a pleasure."

" _Lady_ Wac? She must be important!", Nisa commented.

"She…", S paused, making sure to be careful with her words. "...Precedes my sisters and I."

"That's right. I used to be the top shareholder of Gamindustri!", Lady Wac gloated.

"T-top shareholder? That would make you the most powerful human in Gamindustri!", Nisa staggered at the impact of the information.

"Hold on, she said _used to_. What happened?", Vio crossed her arms and asked.

"I passed my shares on to my aunt, B-Sha", Lady Wac revealed nonchalantly. "She's not as strong as I was, but she's still pretty strong."

"Hold the phone. _Your aunt is B-Sha_?", IF said as she crossed her arms, a hint of skepticism in her voice. "Must be a pretty complicated family."

"They're probably not related by blood", MAGES. commented.

S tapped her pen on her clipboard to get everyone's attention. "If you would be so kind as to share your findings with me…"

"I'll go first", Nisa replied. "I found that there's a location in Lowee from where agents are being deployed to PC Continent."

"Interesting. I thought they were being deployed from Lastation", S replied.

MAGES. stepped forth and posed. "Vio and I found a password: 'La Li Lu Le Lo'."

S nodded. "That should help us immediately gain the trust of those agents."

Compa stood forward next. "Me and RED found a whole list of agents! Well, it's not a very long list, but it's a list nonetheless!"

"S smiled. "Excellent. Now, if we just narrow it down a little, we can investigate quickly."

Finally, it was IF's turn. "I took pictures of the reports made about missions in PC Continent."

S nodded approvingly. "Excellent work, everyone. With all this information, our next move is obvious. You're to use all this information to approach these agents in and figure out who filled out which report. Then we'll narrow down which one could be the leaker. Pack your things. You're going to Lowee."

**CHAPTER 24… WAC'ING A PUNCH... END.**


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